A Trip to the Skate Park
by Xenophobic Doll
Summary: Movieverse: Sam just wanted to lose a little skin at the new skate park, but he ends up losing a lot more...to Barricade. Sam struggles to keep his secret from Bee, only Bee has his own secrets. SLASH! Note the Rating! Sam/Barricade eventual Sam/Bee
1. Barricaded

A/N: Ok, normally, I don't write Slash. I haven't anything against it (read plenty of it) it just ain't my thing to write. However, this one is a request from a rather hopeless friend of mine (known him since the first grade) who has a bit of a THANG for the Sam Witwicky character. And really, I can't say no to a guy that wakes me up at 9 in the morning to come to his house n check out his new leather chaps- sans drawers or pants. It was pretty hot till he goes "Do these make my butt look big?" )

PS: After writing this, I don't think I'll ever think of CadeCade quite the same way again.

Disclaimer; All characters are at least 18 years old.

A Trip to the Skate Park

Sam Witwicky had managed to land himself right smack in the middle of a shitstorm this time. It shouldn't have been this way. In fact, today should have been a great day.

It started out pretty good. Bee had left early, planning to spend the day helping the others work on the new Autobot base. He'd asked Sam if Sam wanted to go, but Sam declined. There was a new skate park in town, and he'd been itching to lose some skin on their new halfpipes. Bee was a bit concerned about Sam going off on his own, but well, Bee was a worrywart. Same pointed this out. He also pointed out that he, Sam, was NOT a baby, and could be entrusted to NOT blow himself up, or smoke crack or something if he rode his skate board to the park so he could ride his skate board some more.

"I'll be fine." he said.

"What could possibly go wrong?' he said.

So said the gasoline soaked man right before he lit a cigarette.

Everything had been just dandy until Sam left the skate park. He'd taken the back exit, trundling sedately along a back street on his skate board, idly thinking of getting some food when he heard a car behind him. There were no sidewalks here, so he hopped off his board, and stood in the gutter, waiting for the vehicle to pass. Being a typical guy, he did take a minute to appreciate the car, Sleek black and silver, almost catlike, it was definitely capable of turning heads.

It turned more than Sam's head when the passenger door popped open as it drove by, knocking him flat on his back. His head snapped back, slamming against the pavement.

"Ow, fuck!"

He looked up, and a figure of a man _appeared_ in front of him. Out of thin air. This was probably NOT a good sign. The 'man' was about 19 or 20, maybe six feet tall. He wore jeans and a T-shirt. Black hiking boots. His black hair fell across his eyes in a careless manner.

He was pretty hot.

_I totally didn't just think that._

He also looked like wherever he might be at any given time, he was probably up to no good. And his eyes... they were _violet_. Almost RED. The man, which Sam was quite sure was no human man, reached down, grabbed Sam by the collar, and hauled him none-to-gently to his feet.

He ran his hand through Sam's hair, fingers sliding against his scalp, before fisting in his hair, to pull Sam's head back sharply. "You should be more careful, _Ladiesman."_

"_Barricade."_ Sam wasn't asking a question.

Barricade gave Sam a lazy smile. "The one and only."

Barricade's holo-form was inhumanly strong, and Sam knew that even if he did manage to get away from it, Barricade's car form would mow him down before he managed to get 10 feet away. Not really knowing what else to do, Sam prayed. _Dear God, please if you get me out of this shit I'll never watch Internet porn again. Okay, okay, I can't lie to you God, I'll still watch Internet porn, but I swear I'll _pay _for it. And I'm sorry I said shit. Amen._

Barricade pulled Sam closer, and licked him, running his tongue from the base of his neck to his ear, before biting him hard enough to hurt, digging his teeth into the sensitive skin below his ear. Sam felt a sharp jab of pain, followed, even more disturbingly, by a weird tightening in his stomach, that wasn't...entirely... unpleasant. "Get in the back seat."

He shoved Sam in roughly, and the car door slammed instantly, before starting to roll. Barricade's holo appeared across from Sam. He leaned against the window, scooting around a bit to get comfy.

Barricade grinned at him. "I'm not going to hurt you Sam."

"You grin like the Joker."

Barricade raised an eyebrow.

"I don't trust people that aren't really people that grin like the Joker." Sam informed him.

"Really, I don't see that you have much of a choice, Sam. Besides, if I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already."

Good point. Although, Sam didn't think it was too far out of the realm of possibility that perhaps Barricade was just saving up all the death for later. Sam had, after all, killed his leader. Maybe he just wanted to torture Sam first.

"What do you want from me?"

Cade slid across his seat, so that his knees were touching Sam's. He slid his hands from Sam's knees up his thighs and back down again. And kept on doing it. His hands were making it hard for Sam to think. Brain confusing tingles seemed to trail along behind Barricade's fingers. _Not cool._ Barricade looked Sam straight in the eyes, "I would think that's obvious."

Sam thought he must be dreaming. A squeeze from Barricade told him he wasn't. He also thought he must have the worlds shittiest luck. This was probably true. And, amazingly enough, he was dimly flattered, in a horrified kind of way.

"Well, there's.. there's a problem with that, see, because I'm not gay. And also, you want to destroy most of mankind, and enslave whatever's left, and that's one of my biggest turn offs. In fact, its such a huge turn off, I was planning on putting it on my Myspace page, and listing it as a turn off, just so, ya know, people would, like, know."

Cade rolled his eyes. "Homosexuality is a foolish human concept. If it feels good, do it. And for the rest of it," Cade's hands left Sam's thighs to run of the hard ridge of Sam's stiffening cock, "you don't seem to be all THAT turned off."

_God, _thought Sam, _why couldn't you have made me a eunuch? Having children is SO over-rated. Or couldn't you have at least seen fit to let me get lucky once in a while so I wouldn't be so horny all the time?? Is that __asking so much??_

Barricade straddled Sam, his hands went to Sam's hair, stroking and caressing, Cade's mouth went to his neck, licking and gently biting. Sam's eyes were closed, his soft lips parted, his breath ragged. It wasn't fair that he should have to fight off his own body, as well as Barricade, but it seemed that the rest of him was trying to turn traitor on his brain, which was loudly screaming that he should be terrified, and that he most certainly should NOT be turned on. But well, he was. His cock was living flesh turned to stone in his pants, and his neck was on fire, the brush of Cade's teeth creating small fires before the liquid silk of his tongue cooled the flames. Sam bit back a groan that was equal parts pleasure and confusion. He curled his hands into fists in an effort to keep himself from dragging Barricade closer.

"Why me?"

Cade stopped and seemed to think for a second. "I find your form attractive for a squishy. Also, I don't really know that many humans."

Ok, well that... made sense. Sort of.

"Look at me Sam. Know I'm telling you the truth." Sam opened his brown eyes, and stared into Cade's violet ones. He saw honesty there, as well as a spark of pure desire. Desire for _him_. "What happens between us, stays between us. Like Vegas. If we ever do this again, I want you to come with me of your own free will. That won't happen if I cost you your friends, and I know it."

Sam didn't have a clue what to say. But when Cade rocked his hips against Sam, rubbing their erections together through their jeans, he bucked his hips in response.

This was by far the stupidest thing Sam had ever considered doing, and he knew it. For all he knew, Barricade was transmitting all of this to Prime, even as he sat here trying to make up his mind. Somehow, he didn't think so. It also occurred to Sam to wonder if Barricade would just TAKE what he wanted if Sam refused. Once again, he didn't think so. He didn't have much to base that on, but it seemed like Barricade wanted him to be a willing participant, despite the way he forced Sam into the car. Of course, Barricade wasn't stupid, he would have known that if he'd just drove up to Sam and said, "Want to go for a ride?" Sam would have run screaming in the opposite direction.

It would be so wrong to do what he was contemplating. SO. WRONG. He couldn't even imagine how hurt and betrayed Bee and the others would feel. But, he wanted it. Might as well not lie to himself. And he always tried to do the right thing, to think of others first. Just this once, he wanted to do something HE wanted, and damn the torpedoes. Just this once.

Still straddling him, Cade sat there silently, waiting. _Fuck it_, Sam thought, _I'll only live once._

Sam reached up and grabbed the front of Cade's open jacket and pulled him down, pressing his lip's hard against the holo's mouth. His tongue slid easily past Cade's lips, running over his teeth, before stroking his tongue. Cade responded to him, plundering Sam's mouth before resuming his rocking.

Sam arched, shamelessly grinding against Cade. Pleasure raced from his groin up his spine. His cock got even harder, and how that was possible, Sam wasn't sure, but he knew he'd never been so aroused. So in need of release, and he was so _close_.

Sam broke away from Cade's mouth, panting slightly, grabbing for his hips to bring him to a halt. "Cade, stop. You have to stop."

Cade stared at him silently, clearly waiting for an explanation.

"I don't want to come yet. If I'm going to do this, Cade, I might as well go the full mile." Sam lightly nipped at his jawline. "Make me come while you fuck me."

Barricade was more than a little surprised. He'd meant what he'd said- he had no intention of forcing Sam, or of hurting him, but in all honesty, he'd fully expected to leave not only empty-handed, but with a convoy of Autobots on his aft after Sam told them about being captured.

Instead, Sam was responding to him, wanted him. HIM. It was intoxicating. There wasn't a time in Barricade's life that he could recall that happening. He'd been taken for the Decepticon army at a young age, and Decepticon soldiers weren't allowed mates- Megatron considered it a weakness. There were prisoners kept for such purposes, various nameless mechs and femmes. Barricade had never participated in anything like that. It wasn't that he lacked desire, it was more that he didn't understand the point in mindlessly using some poor bastard that would only lay there unresponsive. If you were going to play with someone, wouldn't it be more fun if they played _with_ you?

And Sam definitely was. In his nervousness at Barricade's silence, he was kneading the back of his seat gently with one hand, caressing the leather, and to Barricade, having never been touched with any sort of gentleness or affection that he could recall, it felt so _good_, and he didn't care if it was coming from a squishy little organic that he could flatten with one finger.

Barricade was silent for so long that Sam went beyond nervous to dejected. "I mean, unless you don't want to, 'cause well, I guess humans must be like, gross to you or something... I just thought--"

Cade's mouth cut him off in mid sentence. He gave Sam a hard,wet kiss and whispered. "Shut it."

There was a slight fizzling sound, and Barricade's 'clothes' disappeared, leaving nothing but smooth, warm skin. Sam touched Cade's holo in amazement. It was so REAL. Sam slipped his hands down Barricade's chest, over his stomach, marveling at the small amount of black hair he found, and the feel of muscles tightening and twitching at his touch. He dropped his hand still lower and wrapped his fingers tightly around Cade's cock. It felt so odd to be holding another dude's penis, but at least Sam knew what to do with it. He gave it a gentle squeeze, and stroked it slowly, rubbing his fingers up and over the tip, before going back down again. Cade let his head drop back almost to his shoulders and made a sort of choked groan, that Sam decided he liked.

Before he could do much more, though, Cade yanked his shirt over his head, and next started fumbling at the fly of Sam's jeans, trying to get them unfastened and off. He wasn't having much luck.

"Human coverings are stupid." Cade scowled at Sam's pants, as if daring them to deny their low IQ.

Sam knocked his hands out of the way, and removed his shoes, jeans and boxers himself. Cade pulled him close for only a moment, kissing his shoulder before he nudged Sam, urging him to his hands and knees in front of him. Evidently, Cade wasn't in the mood to be patient, and that suited Sam just fine. Facing away from Cade, Sam leaned his forehead against the cool glass of Barricade's darkly tinted window. He felt Cade easing up behind him, felt one very wet tongue run from his lower back to his shoulder blades, making him jump and moan at the same time.

Cade dipped on slick finger between the cheeks of Sam's ass, pressing it gently against his entrance. Sam understood what Cade was trying to do, understood that Cade was trying to make it easier on him by getting him ready, but that wasn't what Sam wanted. Sam wanted to be fucked, he wanted Cade's cock shoved all the way inside of him until he blew his load all over Barricade's leather seats, and at this point in time, he wasn't ashamed to admit it, and that's just what he did.

Barricade hesitated a moment. "Are you sure, Sam?"

"Do I sound unsure?"

Ok, point. Cade's slick finger was replaced with the head of his even more liberally lubricated cock. Cade had to admit, if there was ever a bright side to being a machine, he'd just found it – his systems required lube, therefore, there was plenty enough for Sam. He gripped Sam's waist, and pressed forward, tentatively. Clearly, Sam believed in the old adage of "In for a penny, in for a pound." because Cade's cock met minimal resistance, and the next thing he knew, Sam was pushing back against him slightly, forcing him deeper into tight heat that surrounded him and squeezed. The pleasure was amazing, so intense it was near painful, and he used Sam's hips to pull him up a little higher, and increased his pace. He looked down, watching himself pull out of Sam body, only to shove his way back in. Cade could hear their moans mixing together over the combined sounds of their panting and the sound of flesh slapping against flesh. He could feel Sam's cock leaking fluid onto his seat, and it excited him more. Cade reached around, gripping Sam, stroking him, and it didn't take long until Cade felt a hot slickness coat his hand, felt Sam's ass tighten and contract around his cock, and two thrusts later and Cade's own systems overloaded. He pressed as deep into Sam as he could get and stayed there, crying out loudly at the pleasure coursing through his systems.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, recovering, and Sam wanted to tell Cade just how fucking awesome he'd been, except the only word that came to mind was "Wow" and that didn't really seem to cover it. Sam felt Cade pull away from him and by the time he turned around, he discovered that Cade had totally cheated, and like, wished his clothes back on or whatever it was he did, and was back to his old position against the window. Not fair.

He was examining the sticky remains of Sam's passion with interest, and Sam felt his face redden. "Sex is a little messy. Sorry."

"Don't be. I'll absorb it for later chemical analysis." And with that, the mess disappeared, and Sam thought, _Wow, he's better than a towel_.

Cade was staring at him openly, and under such scrutiny, Sam found himself turning even redder. He fumbled with his clothes a bit before managing to get them on, and only then did he look back up.

Cade was still looking. "Where should I drop you off?"

"Um, I guess back at the skate-park."

A nod from the holo, and Cade switched directions, driving back the way they'd came. Sam wasn't entirely sure what to do. Cade's holo form was NOT easy to read. After a few minutes hesitation, he scooted across the seat to Barricade's end. Another moment of hesitating, and Sam embraced him, slipping one arm around his neck, the other around his waist. Cade seemed startled but after a second, maybe two, Sam felt Cade's arms creep around him and pull him closer.

They got back to the park all too soon. Sam pulled away, and moved toward the door. Gah, he was going to have to work hard at NOT walking funny. He looked at Cade and could have sworn he saw just a touch of sadness in the Decepticon's face before he covered the emotion.

Sam talked to his feet, "So, uh, I'll probably go to the skate-park next Saturday, too. Probably about the same time."

Sam looked up to see how Barricade was responding to such news. Obviously, well. His Joker's grin was back- wide, happy, and slightly serial killer-ish. Sam couldn't help it, he grinned back and gave Barricade a quick, almost shy kiss.

"I'll be there, Sam."

Cade opened the door for him, and Sam eased out carefully before looking back, "Just do me a favor? Don't knock me out with the car door again, ok?"


	2. His Human

A Trip to the Skate Park

Chapter 2: His Human

Sam mentally steeled himself for what he was about to do: lie. Or, at least he tried to, anyway. He was pretty sure he was failing miserably at it. He opened the screen door and bounded down the front steps of his house, trying as hard as he could to act like there was absolutely, positively nothing wrong.

Sure enough, Bumblebee was waiting on him. Sam jogged over to the yellow Camaro, whose door was already open in invitation. One hand stroked the hood in a friendly greeting—the other gently closed the opened door. Bee didn't say anything, and he had no face to have an expression in this form, but the question was there, simply unasked.

"I'm going to hang out with Miles for awhile, and well, you know, you kinda give him the creeps."

Ok, that was true. Well, not the part about hanging out with Miles. His buddy knew that Sam was going to SAY he was over at his house, and gladly covered for him (it wouldn't do to have Miles pop up at his house while he was supposed to be at Miles' house, and Miles didn't know exactly WHY he was covering for Sam, it was just something they'd done their whole lives.), but the part about Bee creeping Miles out, well that was 100 truth. Miles didn't know about what really happened in Mission City, nor did he know that Bee was actually a giant robot pretending to be a car. He did however, know that there was something not quite right about Sam's new ride, and he wanted no part of it.

Bee still wasn't saying anything, and the silence flowing from his yellow friend made him nervous. "I'll get back early, ok? And then we'll do something. I promise."

"Sam, is something wrong?"

Damnit. Sam knew he was a crappy liar. "Nah, Bee. I'm cool."

The little yellow 'bot was silent for a few more seconds. He was considering pressing Sam a little harder... Bee thought he might crack under intense interrogation. Sam wasn't good at covering up at ALL, but Bee decided against it. Sam had been acting strangely the past couple of weeks, Bee didn't want to add to it by pissing the boy off.

"Very well, Sam. I will see you later today."

Bee watched his charge jog down the drive--Miles didn't live far away, he knew Sam would just walk there—and felt more than a little concern. Sam had been acting MORE than strange the past two weeks. It was like Sam was pulling away from Bee, becoming more distant, and for the life of his Spark, Bee couldn't figure out why. Why was he losing his human? Bee checked through his processors, looking for some action or interaction with Sam that would explain his behavior, but could find none. Also, Sam didn't seem angry so much as distracted. Bee wondered what could possibly be distracting him to the point of needing to lie. Sam hung out with other friends, sure. And Bee was ok with that. He knew about Miles' instinctive fear of him, and was cool (to use Earth slang) with that, too. But Sam wasn't going to hang out with Miles. He didn't need his sensors to tell him Sam was lying about that. Why? And what was he going to do about it?

When the answer came, it sent jolts of nervous energy coursing through Bee's system. What he was contemplating—would have been unthinkable a mere week ago. However, as Bee saw it, he was already losing his human, what else did he have to lose?

After a moments hesitation, Bee darkened the tint on his windows, and backed carefully (he'd learned about carefully the last time he'd accidentally squished some of Judy's flowers) out of the drive way, before turning and heading in the opposite direction Sam took.

He needed to see Ratchet.

* * *

"You've been eating for exactly 63.5 minutes."

Sam shifted slightly on Barricade's hood to glance in through his windshield. "Dude, I can't believe you've been like, counting."

"It's hard not to. How can you eat that? It smells revolting."

"You can't talk, Cade, you get your jollies from high octane gasoline."

Sam absently stroked Barricade's hood for a moment before picking up another taco from his seemingly endless bag. Taco supreme. With extra sour cream. Yummy. The last time he'd eaten taco's, there's been a yellow camaro sitting under him as opposed to a black mustang. Enemies or not, the two 'bots unwittingly agreed on something: No eating inside the alt form. Sam wondered what Bumblebee was doing and pushed away the thought ruthlessly. Thinking about that only brought on waves of massive guilt.

MASSIVE guilt.

The first time he'd been with Cade, he'd told himself 'one shot deal'. Well, that had turned into like, three meetings within the past two weeks. And each time, he'd had to put off Bumblebee. Well, that wasn't exactly correct. He'd had to LIE to Bee, if he was going to be honest with himself, and, he decided, that he should be. What better time for self-evaluation than when you're sitting on your illicit lover's hood snarfing down tacos?

Well shit, now he didn't even have the tacos.

Sam picked up his trash and looked around. No garbage cans in the middle of the forest clearing he and Cade were currently sitting in. He tied the bag carefully, to make sure no rebellious taco wrappers escaped. Sure, he was fucking a Decepticon and betraying his closest friends, his BEST friend, but he was NO litterbug.

Uprooted from his thoughts, Sam let out an unmanly shriek when Barricade shook himself on his shocks, neatly throwing Sam to the ground.

"What the hell was that for?" Sam demanded, getting to his feet.

"You were brooding. Also, you scream like a girl."

Sam took a few steps back, brushing the grass off of his pants. "Duly noted. Asshole."

Sam took a few more steps back as Barricade transformed, and unable to stop himself, he flinched back noticeably when Barricade reached for him. He'd gotten used to Cade's holo and his car alt, but well, the last time the 16 foot robot had been towering over Sam, Barricade had been quite ready to kill him.

Barricade held Sam like a can of beer. Without thinking, he stretched, kinda waving Sam around in the air a bit. His human looked slightly... his human? Where did that come from, eh? Deciding it would be best to save THAT particular thought for later, he held a rather annoyed Sam up to eye level, before sitting as cross legged as his robotic form could get in the grass. He held Sam to his chest, gently but firmly. He was a little afraid that Sam might try to escape: he could detect fear in the boys pheromones.

"You need to get used to me in this form, Sam. I will not harm you."

"I'm not afraid."

"Sam, even if I couldn't analyze your chemical signature, I would know you were lying. You aren't very good at it."

Sam hung his head. He knew he was a lousy liar, and that made the lies he'd been telling Bee even worse. It was bad enough to lie to someone if they DIDN'T know you were lying, but he was pretty sure Bee knew, and he was also pretty sure that knowledge was hurting his friend. His fear momentarily forgotten, he leaned his head against the cool claws that held him. Then he started slightly, as though jolted with electric current. The hands that cupped him weren't the evil looking claws he remembered. The fingers were, shorter, blunter, less cruel looking.

Sam looked into Cade's evil looking face, "Your hands are different."

Cade took a moment to answer, then, "Since I'm likely to be interacting with you in this form, I felt my hands should be a shape less likely to be hazardous to your health."

"You changed your hands for me?"

"Tell me what is wrong, Sam."

Sam sighed to himself. He was quickly discovering that was the norm for Barricade. He didn't like to show emotion all that much, and he didn't like to speak of it at all. Sam got the feeling that he didn't know how, really, and while Cade hadn't said anything, he had the distinct impression that having someone treat him and touch him as Sam himself did, was completely new to the Decepticon. It was little actions, like the slight change to the claws that let Sam know Cade wasn't using him only as some sort of toy or pet.

"Well, Cade, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm--"

"A homo?" said Barricade helpfully.

"No! That I'm--"

"Queer?"

"NO! Cade, stop helping! That I'm...bi. I can deal with that. Ok, I can. But I'm pretty sure Bumblebee knows I'm lying to him. You know I'm not good at it."

Ugh, that little yellow dipshit. Barricade really didn't care much for him, but wasn't going to insult him in front of Sam. Sam was the type to defend his friends, and Cade didn't want to argue.

The surprising and somewhat irksome issue was this: not only didn't Cade like Bee (they were enemies spawned by war), he was JEALOUS of the yellow bot. He hated the thought of being jealous of an Autobot, but there it was, bald and without a rug. In Cade's personal and not so humble opinion, there should be a black mustang parked in Sam's driveway, not a yellow Camaro.

"Do you wish to stop seeing me, Sam?"

Sam shook his head in a negative response, and Cade felt a vise he hadn't realized was there release his spark. "I'll come up with something, Cade. I just... dunno what yet."

"So, uh, whatcha wanna do, Cade?" Sam wanted to get his mind off the rather depressing track his thoughts had been taking.

The look Barricade gave him suggested that perhaps Sam was slightly stupid.

"I think you should familiarize yourself with this form. I am at your mercy."

Sam had to snort back a laugh. He seriously doubted he could have any sixteen foot giant alien robot at his mercy, especially one as fierce as he knew Cade to be. Still though, the opportunity to really check out a Cybertronian was too much to pass up. They were so complicated and interesting looking, that Sam had been dying to do just that, however, going up to one and saying "Hey, let me check out your inner workings." never quite seemed appropriate.

Sam stood, and raised his arms, silently requesting that Barricade meet him closer to his level. When he did, Sam gently grasped his face plates, and looked at him closely. He had battle scars, more than one, and his face looked terrifyingly cruel. He was nothing like Bee and the other Autobots, all of which could, in some way at least, be described as 'cute'. However, he was quickly learning that looks could be deceiving. He was quite sure that Cade still possessed the ability to act Sparkless, but well, there was more than one facet to a diamond, wasn't there?

Sam pressed a soft kiss to Cade's metallic mouth, and while Cade stiffened in surprise, as he had that first time Sam embraced him, he didn't pull away. Sam was curious about Cade's behavior. He was fully confident when it came to sex, but well.. random displays of affection seemed to make him wary. He thought about asking, but decided against it. Most likely, he wouldn't get an answer anyway.

He let go of Cade's face, and climbed carefully to his shoulder. That seemed to Sam to be the most un-intrusive place to start. He crawled carefully over the armor, peeking between the plates at the wires and cables underneath. Sam reached his hands between two plates, wanting to touch and feel the hardware that kept Barricade functioning, before pulling his hands back, abruptly. What if he touched something he wasn't supposed to? What if he injured him somehow? Then what would he do?

As if reading his mind, Cade shifted slightly to get more comfortable, then said, "You can't hurt me by touching, unless you decide to cut every cable you come across."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Reassured, Sam slipped his hands between the metal plates once again, probing gently at a mass of cables that seemed to stretch across Barricade's back, from shoulder to shoulder. They were bunched together, knotted, and hard. Sam briefly wondered if robots got tension headaches. If so, Barricade was in for a doozie. Sam wrapped his hands around it.. and started rubbing.

"Are these cables supposed to be all tight and hard?"

"Noooooooo..." Cade's reply turned into a low moan. Primus, it seemed like each time they were together, Sam taught him something different. He'd thought humans were weak and ineffectual, but here was Sam, with his puny human hands, gently rubbing the soreness from the cables that had been a pain in his aft for decades. Unable to stop himself, Barricade leaned forward so that he was doubled over, arching into Sam's touch. He felt the wet warmth of Sam's lips against his back armor, just a brief kiss, but it still caused a slight shiver to run throughout his large body.

He wished he could just take Sam with him, put him in his car form and go. Just leave everything, no worries about the new Decepticon's making their way to Earth, no worries about Autobots, no worries about anything. A pity it wasn't possible.

Sam used his arm to wipe the sheen of sweat from his face. Giving Barricade a massage was hard work, but worth it. The various groans and chirps of pleasure coming from Cade were driving him insane. Sam absently reached down and adjusted himself. His jeans felt like they were three sizes too small and stuffed with petrified wood. Slightly more comfortable, he ignored his own arousal, and made his way down the full length of the cables. No longer twisted and knotted, it was smooth and supple from one end to the other. It pained him to see proof of his earlier suspicions that he was the only one to touch Cade in this manner.

Sam decided he would make it worth the wait.

A quick pat on the shoulder was all Sam needed to get Cade to raise his hand for Sam to stand on. After which, Cade straightened up, going back to his previous cross-legged position. His normally bright ruby eyes were slightly dimmed, as though relaxed. He rubbed gently at Sam's crotch with one large finger.

"It would appear that I'm not the only one who has tension problems."

As tempting as it was to just stand there and let Barricade carry on with his finger on Sam's cock, Sam gathered his will power, sucked in a ragged breath, and stepped away from the metallic digit.

"No, Cade. I want to... today is yours. Your day, Cade. I want to give you pleasure." Barricade looked slightly suspicious, and more than a little rebellious. Sam gave him a hard stare, "_Let me do this_."

With a barely perceptible nod, Cade bent to Sam's desires.

"Lie down down, Cade."

* * *

Bee expelled air from his intakes, copying a human sigh without realizing it. He'd gotten Ratchet to upgrade his hologram projection unit, and it had taken _ages_. He'd earned himself a slap upside his head from Ratchet when he'd started bitching about the amount of time the upgrades were taking because he didn't want to get back too late and keep Sam waiting.

Well, he was definitely going to be kept waiting now. Ironhide had been monitoring Tranquility and the surrounding areas for any sign of Barricade, and had, for the most part been unsuccessful. No surprise, really, Bee knew full well that Barricade was almost as good at masking his signal as he was. Then out of the blue, there'd been a brief blip, a burst of signal from the Decepticon, and then it was gone. As the Autobot's most highly skilled, and let's face it, _only_ spy on Earth, Bumblebee was sent to investigate.

"Try to find him Bumblebee, but do NOT engage him." Optimus had told him.

So, here he was, circling a wooded area just outside of Tranquility. He would stay until he was sure that Barricade was no longer here. As much as he wanted to go ahead with the course of action he'd decided on, he wasn't one to shirk responsibility.

He'd had the Hatchet install the holo upgrades because he knew that was the best way to interact with Sam, or at least, that's what he'd told Ratchet. It wasn't a complete lie, really, just more of a touch of omission. He run dozens of different probability scenarios through his processors, and in each one, found that using words to express his feelings to Sam seemed woefully inadequate.

He'd finally decided to just kiss him. Kiss him and hope that Sam didn't take it TOO badly, and that if Sam did respond negatively to Bee's advances, that he'd at least be willing to remain friends.

* * *

By the time Sam finished massaging the various wires and cables in each of Cade's arm's and legs, he was exhausted, and he was pretty damn sure he now had a petrified TREE living in his pants.

This, however, was nothing compared to what Cade seemed to be going through. His intakes were drawing in air, rapidly, the 'breathing' sounded harsh to Sam's ears. He was unable to keep still, ever mindful of the human that climbed all over him, but writhing all the same, digging his hands into soil already torn asunder from previous pleasure.

Sam climbed onto Barricade's chest. He knew from Bee that Cybertronians made love by melding their Sparks. Sam had no Spark, and aside from that, he didn't think that Cade would be ready, able, or willing to bare his Spark for Sam so early in their time together. Sam could get behind that, he didn't think he'd be all that keen on baring his soul for anyone to see either.

Sam did think that he could use the sensitive circuitry and sensors to his advantage, and bring Cade off without any Spark stimulation. Sam SO wanted to see him come. Or overload, as Cade called it. Same difference.

Sam settled on his knees and pressed his fingers into the groove that ran down the center of the Decepticon's chest. When Barricade shuddered, Sam did it again, only this time, he dipped his tongue in as well, and Cade groaned hoarsely at the small wet intrusion.

Sam laid on his stomach, slipping both hands under Cade's armor. One hand found his Spark casing, and he stroked the outside of it gently. As expected, it didn't open, but he stroked it nonetheless, smooth steady strokes that soon had Barricade's entire body thrumming. His other hand found some sort of sensor module, and as soon as Sam touched it, he knew he'd hit paydirt. Cade didn't just moan, he wailed, mechanical and full of need.

Sam backed off the module, rubbing it idly, almost petting it, but not doing enough to give Barricade any relief. Cade closed his optic's and turned his head away before saying in strained voice, "Sam..."

"Look at me, Cade."

Barricade said nothing, and didn't move.

"You said you were at my mercy, Cade. Look at me!"

Barricade turned toward him, his optic's open, and Sam could clearly see the shame written in them. He could see that Cade regarded his current need as a weakness, as something to hide. More pressure on the module, his fingers moving quickly and deftly, and he didn't want to--

"Tell me Cade."

--humiliate Cade, or hurt him, he just wanted him to understand--

"Tell me what you need Cade!"

--there was no shame in this...

"TELL ME!"

"I NEED YOU TO GIVE ME PLEASURE!" He shouted it, his voice sounding almost angry, and Sam wasn't sure if the anger was directed at him, or if Cade was angry at himself for succumbing, and not only that, for NEEDING to succumb, but it didn't matter, because Sam relented and gave the sensor module one firm squeeze, almost kneading it in his hand, and that was all it took. Cade arched, his heels and shoulders digging into the ground, as his back completely left it.

Sam could feel the shockwaves of energy racking Cade's frame as he held on for dear life and gently kissed the chest plates he rested on it. It took awhile, but eventually, Cade settled down enough for Sam to sit cross-legged on his chest.

"Cade, do I get a cookie?"

"You get to strip."

"Cheap bastard." Sam stood up, so that he could be the one looking down at Cade for once. Cade promptly poked him with a finger.

"_Do it._"

"I told you, today is for you."

If Barricade had had hair, he would have cheerfully ripped it out. "This IS for me."

* * *

Bumblebee almost gave up, when another flash of Barricade's signal flitted across his sensors before dying out. Disappointed, but with a job to do, he turned toward what he thought was the signal's point of origin. When he got closer, he picked up another reading, one that made the energon in his system run cold – Sam's bio-signature. No two human's were the same, each showed a unique bio-signature on Cybertronian scans, and Bee knew Sam's better than he knew his own aft.

There was a wooded area with a dirt track road that led to a clearing. Sam was in the clearing, alone, as far as his sensors could tell. And Barricade was in the area. Squashing the panic that made him want to drive full speed up the dirt road, Bee parked next to it on the main road. As much as he wanted to transform, charge into the clearing, and kill anything that might be considering squishing Sam, his training told him that would be a bad idea. Before he did anything, he had to scout out the situation. He didn't know anything, really. He wasn't even still sure that Barricade was still in the vicinity, so he quieted the clamoring processors that told him now was not the time to be level-headed.

Bee activated his holo, positioning it just outside the clearing, in the treeline where he wouldn't be seen. There was a brief moment of confusion after he aligned his sensors with the hologram, because of the distance from his body. When the fog lifted, Bumblebee saw something that made his Spark want to collapse in on itself. Too numb with shock and horror to move, Bee stood there, watching the scene before him.

* * *

Stark naked, Sam let Cade nudge him into position so that his right side was facing, and Cade saw in him profile. He felt the index finger of Cade's left hand trail gently up and down his back, and he closed his eye's enjoying the sensation. Cade's right hand came up in front of him, and wrapped around him gently, so that his thumb was pressing against Sam's ass. Sam's hip was pressed in the crease where Cade's thumb met his hand, and the other large metallic fingers were placed gently against the front of Sam's shins, knees and thighs.

The top of Cade's index finger, wet with warm lubricant, gently pressed against the underside of Sam's cock. Cade nudged Sam's hips forward with a brush of his thumb, and Sam didn't have to be a rocket scientist to get the idea. He tugged lightly at Cade's hand, getting him to lift it higher. He planted his hand on either side of Cade's index finger, leaned forward slightly, and bucked his hips, pressing his cock into Cade's hand.

He started with smooth and slow strokes, keeping it even, relishing the pressure of Cade's hand, pressing his balls against the metal skin with each thrust of his hips, but it didn't stay that way long. Sam was over-excited, Cade's overload had almost been enough to make him come in his pants. Within five minutes his entire body was straining, the cords standing out on his neck. Sam nearly sobbed from the pleasure when he increased his pace again, but was unable to stop himself.

"Oh, Cade, ah!" And then he froze, hips pressed as hard into Cade's hand as he could manage. He'd fucked Cade's hand and oh, he was finally coming, finally, and it was all he could do to stay on his feet as his own white fluid splattered onto Cade's black paint. In the end, Cade held him up. His finger never left Sam's back, and when he was finished, Cade picked him up, bringing Sam close to his face for a kiss, for which Sam was happy to oblige.

* * *

Bee had seen enough. More than enough. His holo vanished, removing Barricade and Sam from his physical sight, but the imagery was burned into his deepest processors. He had to get away.

Far, far away.

* * *

A/N: So, yeah, Barricade is OOC for this story, but... it's my story and I'm sticking to it. Hope ya'll enjoy. I also wanted to thank everyone for the awesome feedback you guy's have been leaving, as well as the various alerts and faves. As always, I'm open to anything, including critical reviews, as long as they'll help make the story better. And cookies. They won't make the story better, but I like 'em. )


	3. Hell Hath No Fury

Disclaimer: All characters are over the age of 18. For mature audiences only. Also, I'm pretty sure I forgot to put a disclaimer in the last chapter, so.. just read this one twice. D

A Trip to the Skate Park

Chapter Three- Hell Hath No Fury...

Sam stretched comfortably against the black leather of Cade's passenger seat. He stroked the stitching along the leather, watching the holo in the driver's seat shift around at his touch. Grinning, he turned around and nipped lightly at the headrest.

Barricade smacked him.

"You're the one that wanted to get home early, Sam, don't start."

Sam laughed. "You're too tasty to resist."

Cade rolled his eyes. "Tell me something..."

"Hmmm?"

"What do you do with the yellow Autobot?"

"He _does_ have a name, Cade."

"Fine." Cade parallel parked in front of a house for sale about 4 blocks from Sam's place. He'd walk the rest of the way, with Cade (unknown to Sam) carefully monitoring Sam's bio-signature. He didn't trust the boy not to get himself mugged or something. He'd taken to that habit within the past week. He knew that the yellow dipshit took his role as guardian seriously, so as much as Cade hated to admit it, Sam was safe with him. But when he wasn't there... well, all sorts of disasters could occur, and Cade thought it best not to take chances. "What do you do with Bumblebee?"

"I dunno. We just like, talk and listen to music, go for drives, ya know, stuff. Hang out."

Well, that was vague. But Barricade thought it over anyway. He thought he might like to do 'stuff' with Sam, if he could ever get a grasp on exactly what 'stuff' was. The Internet suggested a movie, but Cade wasn't sure he could get behind that. The thought of sitting in a large room crowded with humans, in the DARK, was kind of... creepy. What if they started doing... _things_? Then what would he do?

This definitely required more thought. But he'd have to do it later because Sam was looking at him like he was totally mental. Cade grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him closer for a kiss. He couldn't help but be a little surprised when Sam kissed him back enthusiastically, pulling him closer and greedily accepting his tongue..

"If you want to get home at all tonight, you'd best go now."

"Text me, soon?"

"Yes."

Satisfied, Sam climbed out of the car, and closed the door gently. He trailed his hand down Cade's hood as he walked past, turned and waved, and made his way home.

Cade watched until Sam was gone, then stretched his sensors as far as they would go, to make sure Sam got home safely. He also checked for the Autobot's signal. Unlike him, they had no reason to hide, and therefore, didn't bother masking their signals. Not that he minded covering his signal. It gave him freedom to move. In his new alt form, with his signal covered, an Autobot could pass within five feet of him and never knew who he was. He spread his sensors out, looking for Bumblebee. If the yellow clown was there, he'd leave, if not, he'd stay till the spy returned.

* * *

Bee wasn't at home. Sam wasn't too worried. He figured Bee had just gotten called away, and would be home as soon as he could. In fact, it was likely that Bee would be back by the time Sam got out of the shower. Feeling reassured, Sam hollered a quick hello to his parents, and bounded up the stairs. He really did need a shower.

When he was finished, Sam wrapped a towel around his waist and walked to the window, leaving a trail of water across his room. No Bee. Slightly annoyed, but not worried, Sam toweled off and got dressed. He'd just relax and wait for Bumblebee to come back...

Sam awoke at 9 am the next morning with a start. He'd fallen asleep. He'd waited all night for Bee to come home, had sent him like, 10 text messages... and nothing. Sam stumbled into his bathroom, and splashed water on his face trying to clear the cobwebs. He was still dressed in the jeans and t-shirt he wore last night, and while they were wrinkled, they would work. He brushed his teeth absently, concentrating more on the worry that was settling itself into the pit of his stomach. Bee NEVER ignored, him. NEVER. In fact, the no show no call routine wasn't the norm for Bee, either. There'd been other nights when he'd gotten tied up doing whatever it was the Autobots did, but he'd always sent a message to Sam, and warned him of his inability to return home. This time, nothing.

Sam left the bathroom, and crossed his bedroom, looking outside his bedroom window. Bee's parking space was, indeed, empty. Now, what to do about it? His first instinct was to call the others, maybe Optimus and Ratchet, and ask if they knew where he was. He hesitated to do that, though. What if Bee was doing something he didn't want them to know about? What that could be, Sam had no idea, but still. Not to mention, if they didn't know about his disappearance, and it turned out to be something minor, he didn't want to get them all worried for nothing.

After a little more thought, the answer came: the look out. Maybe Bee went there, and fell into recharge or something. He didn't know if that was possible for them, but it was worth checking. He'd look there first, and if Bee wasn't there, THEN he'd call Optimus.

Sam took the stairs three at a time. "Mom!"

Judy Witwicky came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel. "Sam? Is everything alright? I don't think Bumblebee ever came home last night."

"No, he didn't. I'm going to go to the look out, see if he fell asleep or something. Can I borrow your bike?"

"Okay, but try not to wreck it this time, Sam, it's brand new."

He gave her a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom." Then he was on his way out the door.

"Be careful, Sam!"

"Okay!"

* * *

Sam decided, as he turned onto the dirt path that would take him to the look out, that he was getting soft what with getting rides everywhere. This bike riding shit was hard work. He didn't remember it being this tiring. He was relieved when he actually made it to the top, and even more so when he saw the yellow Camaro sitting under the tree.

The worry evaporated, leaving his system adrenaline soaked and slightly ill feeling. He hadn't wanted to admit it to himself, but in the back of his mind had been an image of Bee lying alone somewhere, wounded but unable to call for help. Thank God he was safe.

Sam was going to kill him.

Sam started marching his way over to his friend, and boy was there some 'splaining to do. Sam was pretty sure this particular episode had given him some gray hairs. But then he got a closer look at Bee, and stopped short, dumbstruck. There was some random blond dude sitting on Bee's hood. Like he OWNED it. What the fuck? He'd worried his ass off, nearly killed himself getting here on his Mom's bike, and for what? To find this happy asshole sitting on HIS best friend? HIS BEST FRIEND!

Hell to the _naw_.

Sam started running, then. And he wasn't running to the blond dipshit to say, "Hi, how ya doing?" or "Nice to meet ya." oh no, he was going over there to say, "Welcome to my fist, now get off him!"

Lost in his own thought, or more accurately, wallowing in misery, Bee was so distracted he didn't notice Sam's arrival. Therefore, he had no warning when Sam, running flat out, tackled his holo (to which all his sensors were aligned) effectively knocking him off his own hood, right onto his holographic ass. Sam was beating the shit out of him, too. His right fist connected with Bee's eye, and he couldn't stifle a groan. Primus, that hurt. Easily stronger than any real human, Bee had no problem turning the tables on Sam. He kicked Sam off him, and pinned him to the ground, hands over his head.

"What in the slagging PIT is your problem, Sam??"

"...Bee?"

"Who else?"

Sam stared. Bee had somehow gotten his holographic projector working. He looked at the man above him. Yeah, it was Bee alright. If he'd ever pictured Bee as a human, this is what he would have come up with. Tousled blond hair, blue eyes, lean but muscular, maybe just a few inches taller than Sam... damn he was hot. Sam wondered if it was an unwritten law that Cybertronians had to create hot holos.

"I..I thought, you were just like, some random dude."

Satisfied that Sam wasn't going to continue pummeling him, Bee let go of Sam's arms, and sat up straight. He still straddled him though, he had no intention of giving that up so soon.

"Do you plan on beating the living hell out of any random strangers you happen to see on my hood?"

Sam blushed furiously. "I dunno...maybe. You're my best friend."

Bee stared him intently. His eyes raked over Sam's face, like he was searching for something, and Sam thought he saw a flicker in the holo's blue eyes. Sam wasn't sure what that meant, but he guessed Bee must have found what he was looking for, because his holo form sighed, and stood up, and held out a hand for Sam. "Come on, get up off the ground."

Sam took Bee's offered hand, and stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants and shirt. "Why didn't you come home? Or answer my texts? I was worried about you."

Bee hesitated, and at first Sam thought he wasn't going to answer. When he did finally answer, Sam wished he hadn't.

"I went to Ratchet, to get my holographic projector fixed. While I was there, Prime sent me to investigate flashes of a Decepticon signal. Barricade's signal. I saw you with him Sam."

Sam felt the blood leave his face and drop to his feet. He thought he'd felt nauseated before, but that was nothing to what he was feeling now. He shifted his gaze to Bee's hood, unable to look in the holo's eyes, afraid of what he might see there. "How much did you see?"

"I'm guessing the second half. I'd imagine you were the reason his signal surfaced for brief times. He wasn't concentrating."

Great. Bee had seen him rubbing himself off on Cade's hand. Add major embarrassment to the sickness. Not a good combo. "He didn't force me Bee."

"Yeah, I could tell." The sarcasm in Bee's voice was corrosive as acid, and Sam flinched from it. In a somewhat more controlled tone Bee added, "Besides, forcing was never his style, anyway. It was the one thing I've ever been able to respect about him."

"What do you mean?"

"Decepticon soldiers were not allowed to have mates. Megatron figured that kind of thing, ya know, love was a weakness, a liability. They kept prisoners that could be... used to keep their... desires in check. Barricade never participated. From what I understood, he caught a lot of flack about it."

Depsite the fact that Sam was not currently in the best of situations, he couldn't help but feel proud of Cade. It must have been so hard to stand up to that kind of peer pressure...

The world spun as Bee slammed him against his car alt's door. There was a brief flash of pain, but it didn't really faze Sam, it was like he was feeling it from a distance. The look of hurt and betrayal on Bee's holographic face hurt him far more than any physical pain ever could. "How could you do this Sam? _Why_? You call me your best friend, but you jeopardize everything, and for what? Lust? Some secret thrill you get from doing something wrong? Do I mean so little to you?" Sam just hung his head, looking forlornly at Bee's chest. Bumblebee tightened his grip on Sam's upper arms and shook him, "ANSWER ME! You owe me that much. If you're willing to be a Decepticon pet you can at least tell me why."

Sam jerked, a physical reaction to the verbal slap, and when he spoke, his voice was thick with the tears silently tracking his cheeks. He didn't raise his head either. "I-Its not like t-that. I only meant for it to be one time. But, I don't know. He's not all bad, Bee. He's not. And, I just, well, I just discovered I like spending time with him."

For a second, Bee thought perhaps his spark went out. Despite his accusations, he'd hoped he was accurate. He WANTED Sam to be doing this for none other than cheap thrills and a piece of ass. Hoped for it actually, but evidently that wasn't the case, and oh, oh it hurt so bad. He wished Megatron were still alive. Alive, and standing right beside him so that he could rip out his vocal processors again. Yes, because if he didn't have vocal processors then he couldn't ask Sam the question that he didn't want to ask. The question he had to ask. The question that could break his spark into a thousand pieces.

"Do you love him, Sam?"

"I don't know, " Sam sobbed. "I don't know. I wish I could just say 'no' because then maybe you'd hate me less, and this could all just go away, but I can't. Everything's so confusing, Bee. I didn't even consider guys an option until 2 weeks ago... I don't know how I'm going to tell my parents." Sam lapsed into a miserable silence. "But, I know I care about him." The last part was said in a whisper.

Bee stared at Sam, saw the misery etched into every line of his body, from his slumped shoulders to the tears streaming down his face. He wanted to hold on to his anger, to hold it up as a righteous shield. But he couldn't. When had he ever been able to deny Sam? He relaxed his grip on Sam shoulder's and pulled him close for a hug, but the next thing he knew, Sam's lips were on his, warm and massaging, and Bee could taste his tears. Bee knew that Sam was only seeking comfort, but part of him still wanted to yank the boy closer, to rape Sam's mouth with his tongue. The other part though, the part that was in control, refused. That part made him stiffen like a board and stand there unresponsive. Some of it was logic. Sam wanted comfort, but if Bee responded like he wanted to, it would only serve to confuse Sam more. Some of it was pride. He loved Sam, but he couldn't tell him, not now, not after what he'd seen. It would make him seem like a spoiled kid that wanted the same toy the kid up the street had. Fuck that.

One minute, Sam was kissing a decidedly unresponsive Bee, and the next, he was flying through the air with all the grace of a rock, and the ground was rushing up to greet him, arms wide open. He knew he didn't deserve any comfort, least of all from Bumblebee, but he didn't think Bee would actually throw him away like a piece of trash. Sam hit the grass hard, wheezing for breath as the air was knocked from his lungs. Gah, the ground felt like it was shaking. Sam looked up with bleary eye, and what he saw made his blood run cold.

Bee's holo had poofed out of existance, and the Camaro was transforming to his robotic form with as much speed as Bee could muster. Something big enough to make the ground shake was thundering up the path, and Sam heard Cade about a minute before he saw him, "YOU WOULD DARE FORCE YOURSELF ON HIM!?" Sam had seen first hand how terrifying Barricade could be, he had a quick flashback of Cade towering over him, demanding the glasses, but that was business, and this, well, this was _personal_. Cade, looked beyond pissed, beyond terrifying, he looked murderous.

* * *

A/N: This seemed like a good place to stop. eg No smut. I actually needed to focus a bit on the plot line. Bugger. This chapter was a bitch to write though. There were about three different directions I could see this going, and it wasn't easy to pick one. I ended up using my room mate as a sounding board. I decided to have Bee NOT confess his feelings, cause, if it were me, and I'd seen what he had, wild horses couldn't drag that particular confession from my ass (or lips). And to make sure I wasn't turning Bee into a GIRL, I asked my roomie what he would do, and he agreed, he wouldn't spill those beans either.

Poor Bee.


	4. Need Fixin'

A Trip to the Skate Park

Chapter 4 - Need Fixin'

Sam's brains felt addled, and try as he might, it seemed to take him forever to figure out what in blazes Barricade was talking about. Yeah, so Bee had stiffened up on him when Sam had tried kissing him, but somehow he didn't really see Cade rushing out to defend Bee's honor... and then it occurred to him, replaying in his mind like a cheesy movie that didn't have the budget for effects so instead just played in slow-mo: Bee's hands gripping Sam's arms. To Cade it must have looked like Bee was holding him in place, forcing him, when, not to put too fine a point on it, Sam had been forcing his lips on _Bee_.

Bee had thrown Sam out of harms way, and he'd totally transformed.

_Oh shit._

Sam struggled to get off the ground, his body protesting. He was as scared as he'd ever been in his life, and considering that he'd fallen off of bridges and buildings...well, he was pretty scared. But not for himself. He watched Bee in trepidation. The yellow Autobot wasn't trying to explain, wasn't trying to avoid the fight, oh no, he looked ready for it. He _wanted_ it.

He wasn't sure which of the two mechs fired the first cannon blast, or maybe they both fired at the same time, but either way, they hit each other. Sam watched Cade duck slightly, so that Bee's blast glanced off his shoulder instead of striking him in the chest plates. Sam had about half a second to be relieved before his stomach tightened in fear once again. This time it was Bee dodging Cade's cannon-- he came out mostly unscathed, but one of his door wings looked decidedly charred.

Long-range weapons were forgotten as soon as the two mechs got close enough to reach out and hit each other. A cannon blast was the quickest, not to mention, the safest way to take down an opponent, but it was also the least satisfying.

When Barricade reached Bee they struggled briefly before Barricade gripped Bee's chest plates, and he hauled Bee over his head, holding him up in the air like a trophy. Sam ran forward, trying to put a stop to the fight before one of them hurt the other too badly, then he looked up and froze. Barricade spun where he stood, bringing Bee's body to the ground, and Sam had just enough time to think "OH SHIT!" as he dove between Cade's feet, just seconds before Bee's body slammed into the ground Sam had been standing on.

Bumblebee was dazed for only a few seconds, and Cade briefly wondered just HOW mad Sam would be if he killed the yellow bot, but then the next thing he knew, the Autobot kicked out with one foot, catching Cade in the waist, sending him flying into a nearby stand of trees. Within seconds, he was up, and leaving the splintered trees behind, he bounded back into the fight.

Their fight was almost graceful. They pulverized the trees lining the over look, turning them to mere firewood , as they leaped, dodged, and pivoted, alternately sending each other flying through the air to crash into some poor innocent piece of nature.

Bee body checked Cade, sending them both crashing to the ground. In no time, both 'bots were rolling on the ground, grappling at the others armor, and merrily beating the shit out of each other. Bee was loathe to admit it, but now that he'd worked out most of his anger, beating on Cade was actually pretty fun, and he couldn't be sure, but he thought the Decepticon might just be enjoying himself too.

The sight of Cade and Bee hurting each other was too much for Sam to bear. His attempts to get them to stop had been futile, it was like they'd forgotten he was there. In a last ditch effort to put an end to the fight, Sam did what was probably the dumbest thing he'd ever done: He ran right up to where the two giant aliens were rolling on the ground, pounding each other into oblivion, and dove right in the middle of them.

Instantly, both mech's froze. Sam was between the two of them, pushing desperately against their armor, trying to force them apart. Bee spoke first, growling, "Get out of the way, Sam!"

"No! Please, stop, please, I can't stand this." Sam's voice was high-pitched and strained, and Bee was somewhat surprised to find that the boy was nearly hysterical. His blood pressure was through the roof, and his heart was beating so fast Bee was astounded that it hadn't flown from inside his chest. Bee started disentangling himself from Barricade, ready to let the fight go before Sam gave himself a heart attack. He eyed Barricade warily, wondering if the Decepticon would choose to attack while Bee was trying to back away.

He needn't have worried. All of Barricade's attention was focused on Sam's tear stained face. He could tell his human was very upset, and he knew the fight between himself and the Autobot was the reason, what he didn't know however, was what to do about it. He'd never seen Sam like this, and had no idea how to fix it.

Barricade pretty much ignored Bee. He wasn't worried about the Autobot attacking him while he was preoccupied with Sam- Autobots were all noble. Maybe not as noble as their leader, no one was that noble, but they were noble nonetheless. Barricade conducted a quick search of the internet, and didn't find that much helpful information. Most of it tended to contradict itself- it was amazing how even humans didn't understand human mating rituals. The one thing most of the sites he visited were clear on: never let them walk home. NEVER.

Barricade shifted to a crouch, never taking his optics off Sam. He wanted to be prepared to move fast. Sam didn't look all that stable at the moment, and Barricade wanted to be able to quickly and efficiently catch Sam if he should make a break for it and try to walk to his domicile.

"Sam? Are you going to attempt to walk home? ...Because, I can't allow that."

"Wal- Cade, what are you talking about?"

One of Cade's hands twitched, as though he was considering just picking Sam up so he wouldn't have to worry about any walking foolishness. "The internet says to never allow your mate to walk home, especially if they're angry."

"Cade, they're talking about never letting your girlfriend walk when she gets out of the car, and says she's going to walk home. It refers to females."

"You scream like a female."

Sam sighed, and pushed his hand through his hair in an agitated fashion. Barricade looking up dating advice on the web... it was kind of cute actually, and it warmed Sam's heart to know that in the midst of all this, Cade still worried about him, but in Sam's opinion, he wasn't the one that needed worrying about. His eyes raked over Bee and Cade both, and were disturbed by the numerous dents, scratches, and small energon leaks he found.

"Look, I don't expect the two of you to like each other, but I can't stand you guys beating on each other, either. Truce, please." Sam's eyes switched back and forth, from one giant being to another. Reluctantly, VERY reluctantly, they both nodded. Whether they were agreeing permanently, or just until Sam wasn't around to SEE them beating on each other, Sam wasn't sure. He guessed it was probably the latter.

"How bad are you guys hurt?"

Both aliens just shrugged. Sam face-palmed.

"Can you two just, transform—come down to my level? Please?" With another filthy glance at each other, both 'bots did as Sam asked, changing to their car alts before activating their holos. Sam almost wished they hadn't. In their alts, the damage looked even worse than it had when they'd been towering above him.

The hysteria Barricade staved off with his 'walking' nonsense was threatening to return. Fresh tears welled in Sam's eyes as he went from one to another, black to yellow, unsure of which one was hurt the most, carefully running his hands over dents and scratches on both of them, trying to soothe away hurts that they weren't showing but that had to be there nonetheless.

It was Cade's hands that stopped his wandering, but Bee's voice that said, "Sam, you really must calm yourself. Barricade and I have done far worse to each other than this in battle. We can be fixed." Cade didn't add to Bee's statement with words, but he squeezed Sam's shoulders gently as if in agreement.

Yeah, maybe they had done worse to each other, but those other times hadn't been Sam's fault, and this one was. And the whole 'we can be fixed thing', well, that was easy enough for Bee, he had Ratchet, but Cade had no one to take care of his repairs, and somehow Sam doubted that Ratchet could be talked into taking care of them for him. God, Ratchet. The old 'I walked into a door' excuse was NOT going to cut it, which meant that Ratchet would have to know what really happened, which in turn meant that the other Autobots would also have to know. Lovely and lovelier.

Okay, one thing at a time. Sam would see to it that Barricade was taken care of, then he'd go with Bee to the Autobot base to see Ratchet, and face the music there. With that in mind, Sam found it was easier to calm himself with a task or two at hand. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Mikaela's phone number. She'd been working with Ratchet, learning from him, and that paired with her own mechanical inclination made Sam quite sure she'd be able to take care of Cade. He just had to talk her into it.

He phone rang for so long that at first he thought it would just go over to voice mail, but she picked up at the last second, "Sam!"

"Hey Mikaela. You busy?"

"Not unless watching Monsterfest actually counts as doing something. Why? Is everything okay?"

"Nothing life threatening, but I have a friend that kinda needs some repairs. Would you mind?" Sam looked pointedly at Cade's holo, which immediately began shaking his head in the negative.

"Sam, you didn't do something stupid to Bee again did you? Tell me it has nothing to do with popcorn this time."

Promptly ignoring Barricade, Sam replied, "No it doesn't have anything to do with popcorn. And it's not Bee. "

"Who then?"

"Just... can I meet you at you're uncles?"

"Yeah, ok. I'll see you in a few."

Sam said his goodbyes to Mikaela, and turned on Barricade, who was looking mutinous. "You're going, she can fix you."

"Absolutely not. I'm not going to let some strange human work on my innards."

"She's not a stranger to you Cade, you tried to kill her, too. Besides she was trained by Ratchet."

"Ohhhh, so it's a human trained by the crazy, saw-wielding Autobot medic, oh yeah, that makes it _so _much better."

Sam heard a soft snicker behind him, and turned to find the blond holo of Bumblebee looking in every direction but his. Sam sighed and rubbed his face. He really couldn't deny that Cade had a bit of a point there—Ratchet was a bit nuts, but he still knew what he was doing, and according to Mikaela, he was an excellent teacher. "Do you trust me or not?"

Barricade sighed and grudged, "Yes."

"Cool, then lets go get you looked at."

Still looking Sam in the eye, Barricade opened his passenger door. Which Sam promptly closed. "I need to ride with Bee, Cade. And don't look like that."

Barricade had stopped looking merely rebellious and gone all the way to _pissed_. His violet eyes narrowed suspiciously at Sam. "Look, Cade, he's my friend, and I want to try and make things right with him." Barricade still looked unconvinced and Sam added, "He doesn't want me like that Cade, we're just friends."

Posture anything but relaxed, Barricade finally nodded his rather grudging acceptance. "Fine." Sam turned to go to Bee, but Cade gripped his elbow, dragging him backwards against his black alt-form. Before Sam could protest or even think, warm lips were pressing insistently against his, and too-strong hands were pulling him close to a warmer body. Sam was dimly embarrassed to be kissed that way by another guy in front of Bumblebee of all people, but he responded to Cade's advances without thinking, opening his mouth to Cade's delving tongue, and dragging his hands through Cade's soft black hair. The kiss was one of possession, clearly stating "Mine" and for all the lack of subtlety Barricade might as well have just used a permanent marker to write "Barricade's not Bumblebee's" on Sam's forehead, but either way, it was making Sam hot all over, and he desperately thought of everything from dead kittens to split-pea soup in an effort to keep the twitching length in his pants from becoming a full on erection. Jeeze, he didn't remember being this horny before Cade came into the picture.

Seemingly satisfied, Cade released him with a nearly imperceptible push in Bee's direction. Sam made his way dazedly to the yellow Camaro's door, and for one brief yet indescribably horrible second, Sam thought for sure the door wouldn't open, and would stay closed, refusing him entrance. It did open though, the driver's side door swung open with a soft click, and Sam escaped into the cool leather interior of his best friend.

* * *

The drive to Mikaela's uncle's shop had been somewhat awkward but mostly painless. Sam had asked for forgiveness and Bee had given it readily. He'd been around the galaxy a few times, and knew from first hand experience that you couldn't always help who you cared for. It took some effort, but he was able to remind himself that Sam hadn't rejected _him_, hadn't chosen Barricade over _him_, and that in fact Sam had no idea how Bee felt about him. The timing was bad, but that wasn't a crime.

He'd also agreed to have Mikaela fix him as well. The other Autobots would have to know about Sam's association with Barricade, and Sam had accepted that, but, as Bee told the boy, they didn't necessarily have to know TODAY.

Bee drove absently, processing his own thoughts. Sam had drifted into a fitful sleep, and Bee was left to his own devices. He blew air through his intakes, a car's equivalent to a sigh. His time on Earth had taught him many 'humanisms' and he'd found that the most satisfying by far were sighing and eye rolling.

Bumblebee had briefly considered demanding that Sam stop seeing Barricade altogether, and as gratifying as that thought was, he couldn't do it. For one, he wanted Sam to be happy, with everything in his Spark, but also, while he thought he might be able to get Sam to do it NOW, he was positive that the boy would come to resent him for making him choose. That he didn't want. Bee wanted far more than mere friendship from Sam, but still, he'd rather have nothing but friendship than nothing at all.

Absently, he made a right off the main highway, and checked to make sure Barricade was still following. Bee sighed again. Barricade, now there was something unexpected. He'd mentally accused the 'Con of using Sam as a pet, but he was beginning to suspect that he was pretty far off the mark with that one. Damned if the Decepticon hadn't dropped out in the middle of a battle to pitch wu and look up dating advice on the internet. Bee had nearly died from the shock. Still though, he didn't really know that much about Barricade. He liked to think he did, that he knew that Barricade was just some Sparkless Decepticon, and nothing more, but if he was going to be honest with himself, that wasn't true. And, Bee decided, he should be honest with himself. What better time for self-evaluation than when Bee was taking Sam, his would-be lover to see his ex-girlfriend so Sam could get his illicit lover repaired?

...That was just too fucked up to contemplate.

Still though, the fact remained, what he knew about Barricade would fit in a human thimble with room to spare. Perhaps it would be wise to... carefully, ask one of the older bot's a few well placed questions about the 'Con.

* * *

"Hell no, Sam."

"C'mon Mikaela, please?"

"Why should I?"

Sam absently fiddled with one of Cade's windshield wipers. Cade and Bee were both parked in front of the garage doors of the car shop, but so far, this wasn't going well at all. "Well, because, he's my... well... I mean, he's like... he's..."

"...your boyfriend." Mikaela finished the sentence for him, and while the statement held a sense of pure amazement, it was just that, a statement. Kaela evidently knew the answer as sure as she'd provided it to him.

"It doesn't seem fitting to refer to a giant alien robot as anyone's 'boyfriend', but yeah, I guess that's what he is."

Sam stared at her almost defiantly, expecting judgment and even disgust. He was surprised when she just sighed and said, "Let's get to it then."

Mikaela didn't seem comfortable discussing the details in front of Barricade, which suited Sam just fine, but the look she shot him promised the need for full disclosure at a later date.

Sam offered to help, but Mikaela declined. Sam's job, it would seem, was to sit on Barricade's hood and make sure he didn't get any bright ideas about transforming and squishing his tiny organic doctor. This also, was perfectly fine by Sam.

Overall, he had say that he was proud of Barricade's behavior. Mikaela would explain what she was about to do before she did it, and the most the Decepticon did was to shift on his shocks or grumble in slight discomfort. He gave no indication whatsoever that squishing ever entered his processors. After a few hours, Mikaela had him looking as good as new.

Sam watched her stand up and stretch, surprised by how little of an effect it had on him. She used to be the epitome of what he thought he wanted, and as little as a month ago he was pining after her, still hurt by their sudden break up, and now...nothing. Oh, he still cared about her, but strictly as a friend. Nothing more. The electric tingle he used to get just from looking at her was gone. Well, not really gone. Now the electric tingle emerged for a different person. For Cade.

Most disturbing.

"All that's left is a wash. Why don't you take him around back and do that Sam, while I start on Bee. You can come help me with him you're done."

Sam wasn't entirely stupid. He'd seen the glances Mikaela kept throwing in Bee's direction, and was quite sure that Mikaela was trying to get rid of him for awhile, probably so she could talk to Bee. However, he decided not to say anything and just do as she asked. He'd opened wayyy to many cans of worms today, and didn't really want to try for another.

Besides, he liked the thought of giving Cade a bath.

* * *

As it turned out, Cade liked the thought a little less than Sam. Actually, a lot less. Sam adjusted the hot and cold water, getting just the right temperature, and attached the pressure washer attachment to the hose. He took a few steps towards Barricade, and Cade rolled a few inches back. Another step forward, and he rolled another few inches backward.

"You've got to be kidding me. Surely you aren't afraid of a bath."

"All sorts of things live in water Sam. It's really quite disgusting. I can't believe you drink it."

Sam rolled his eyes. A germophobic machine. Figure that shit out. "Cade, every time we're together for more than like, five minutes you end up covered in cum. And yet, you're backing away from water."

"Well I know where YOUR fluids have been."

Sam sighed. "Believe me, you'll like it." With that, Sam quickly blasted him with the pressure washer, before he could back away any further.

Barricade had to admit, Sam was right. The pressure washer was like a light massage all over his body, and the water, as disgusting as it surely was, actually felt pretty good. That didn't stop him from shaking himself like a giant black dog on his shocks, effectively drenching Sam from head to toe.

Barricade immediately formed his hologram so he could laugh at Sam dripping all over the place. Granted, he was perfectly capable of laughing without the holo form, but well, the holo could point AND laugh, and that just made it more fun.

He heard Sam grumble something about 'giant assholes' before going to get buckets of soapy water and sponges. After about five seconds of Sam rubbing him down with the sudsy sponges, Barricade decided it was worth braving the water for. It reminded him of the massage he'd gotten from Sam the day before, though not as intense, it was still no less pleasurable.

Sam leaned over the hood, working his way down to Cade's grill. Cade ignored Sam's squawk of surprise as he pushed him down and forward, his hips grinding into Sam's ass while his hands when to the front of his wet jeans, tearing them open, one slipping into Sam's boxers.

He was already hard, and that was perfect.

Cade yanked Sam's jeans down over his ass, just far enough to let him gain entry. Within seconds, his already slick cock was at Sam's entrance, pushing inside, and he used his foot to spread Sam's feet as far apart as he could get them with his jeans hindering progress. He pushed Sam down, moving inside him with short strokes, staying deep.

Sam scrabbled for some sort of purchase on Cade's soap-slick hood, but found none. He was completely along for the ride with no control whatsoever, and he bit back his groans, all too aware of the fact that Mikaela and Bee were just on the other side of the building.

Cade was also being quiet, and Sam turned back to look at him. His face was contorted with pleasure, completely caught up in what he was doing. Cade's eyes flared bright red with his overload, and the car beneath Sam shuddered, sending vibrations racing up his cock, and the next thing he knew, he was coming helplessly and praying to God that Mikaela didn't choose that moment to come strolling around the building.

Cade pulled Sam close, hugging him from behind and kissing the back of his head, while Sam hurriedly straightened his clothes. However, he didn't have the decency to stand there and let Sam smack the shit of him, instead, he poofed into nothingness and chuckled the entire time Sam was rinsing him off.

Sam scowled at him, and smacked him on one of his tail lights. "I should have let that soap dry. And spot your paint job. And probably itch. You'd deserve it."

Barricade just laughed harder.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, so this chapter took forever. Sorry about that. Hopefully, it was worth the wait. As always, thanks for all the reviews, alerts and faves. It's all appreciated. =)


	5. Gramma and the Wolf

A Trip to the Skate Park

5. Gramma and the Wolf

_He knew everything that happened, of course. Starscream had sought him, amongst others, out immediately after the battle at Mission City, and informed them all that the great Lord Megatron was defeated by a mere organic youngling._

_A youngling._

_Surely, there must be treachery afoot. What organic could possibly defeat the Lord and Master of the Decepticon's? It was impossible, and his circuits could not process such information. In fact, they threatened to crunch that tidbit into bits of worthless data that would be erased from his system. _

_But that was illogical. He didn't have Shockwave's cold logic, and sometimes that was a nuisance. Sometimes, it was an asset._

_Like now._

_They would find Megatron, and restore him to his former glory, but first, the organic filth would PAY._

_Dearly._

_Shockwave wouldn't approve of such actions. They were revenge oriented and therefore illogical, but Shockwave wasn't around, and here HE was, sooo very close to earth. _

_Starscream, was second in command, and therefore, his commanding officer, but only in title. Starscream was cunning and sly, but his conniving could only carry him so far. _

_Real power came from fear. And he knew he was feared. By all except Megatron himself. As it should be. _

_Just as it should be._

* * *

The truce was uneasy, but kept. For the most part anyway. Cade and Bee threw each other frequent filthy glares, and there was the time Sam came outside to find Bee and Cade's holograms feverishly kicking the hell out of each other's tires, but they didn't do anything too serious to each other. Not so far, at least.

"Close your eyes, Sam. It's a surprise. And NO peeking!"

Sam grumbled to himself, but complied. Barricade had shown up in his driveway today, declaring that he wanted to show something to Sam. Sam went willingly enough, he never had a problem spending time with Barricade. Though, he hadn't failed to notice the look on Cade's holo when he'd gently rubbed Bee's hood goodbye.

His face flushed thinking of his best friend. Bee had been true to his word, it seemed, and forgiven Sam. He never made any mention of what he'd seen, or what he was sure to know happened while he was washing Cade at Mikaela's uncle's shop, but still. Sam felt guilty on many levels. Most of all, he wondered what the hell he'd been thinking at the over look, when he'd kissed Bee, and further more, how could he have been disappointed when Bee just stood there? Like he had any right to ask for more? Hell, did he even WANT more?

He honestly didn't know. Sam spent hours mulling over that question in his head, but nothing. And worse, what if he did? What would he tell Cade? He supposed it didn't matter anyway. Bee had no interest in him, at least not like that, he'd made that painfully clear that day at the over look.

Barricade's alt form coming to a slow stop interrupted Sam's thoughts, and he asked, "Can I look now?"

"NO. You need to learn patience boy. Sit there."

Sam snorted, "Yeah, like you can talk."

Sam sat there with his eyes closed, and listened to the sound of Cade's passenger door opening. He was right in the middle of wondering how Barricade expected him to walk anywhere with his eyes closed when he was suddenly hoisted out of his seat, and thrown over Cade's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Barricade chuckled at Sam's unmanly shriek of surprise, warned him again about peeking, and from the feel of it, started carrying Sam up a flight of stairs. Unable to resist, Sam peeked. For all the good it did him. All he got was a glimpse of a dimly lit staircase that did nothing to tell him where he was at, or what they were doing there. He really hoped it wasn't anything illegal. Sam had had quite enough of being arrested, thank you very much.

The backs of Sam's eyelids turned red as a light came on, and Cade set him gently on his feet, steadying him with a hand on his shoulder until Sam regained his balance. He heard Cade whisper to him to open his eyes, and while he didn't really know if he'd been expecting anything, he sure as hell knew he wasn't expecting this.

* * *

Bee knew that multi-tasking was a lovely and glorious thing. If it weren't for the cybertronian ability to process and maintain several functions at once, Bee would simply be sitting in the driveway woolgathering, instead, he was simultaneously scanning sectors of the town for Decepticon activity, playing World of Warcraft, drooping over the currently miserable status of his personal life, and using his hologram to help Judy Witwicky in her garden. Judy had been exceptionally thrilled to find out about Bee's hologram. She knew the ever polite 'bot would be happy to help her in the garden; something Sam had no interest in.

Sam. Bee sighed. It seemed as though his thoughts always managed to come right back to him, no matter what other activities Bee was currently engaged in. Bee figured he was stuck in the proverbial rock and hard place. He didn't want to prevent Sam from spending time with Barricade because he thought Sam would resent that. On the other hand, the more time Sam spent with Barricade, the closer they seemed to get. It was a problem he couldn't quite wrap his CPU around. For Primus' Sake, how was he supposed to fix that? He wished Mikaela was home, and not working. She'd be great to talk to. Plus, he still wanted to try talking her out of the decision she'd made. He thought he might have a chance if he threatened to tell Ratchet of Mikaela's crush on him. Maybe. Then again, maybe she secretly _wanted_ to be ratted out.

Bee's talk with Mikaela while she'd been making his repairs had been quite... enlightening. Most especially, her reason for breaking up with Sam I the first place. She told Bee that she'd left Sam because she noticed Sam's attraction for Bee, and she felt it best to end things there, as opposed to letting their relationship carry on.

"I felt it would be less complicated that way," she'd said.

"Did you tell him why, exactly?" Bee had been extremely interested to know that answer.

Mikaela told Bee no. "I just told him we'd be better off as friends. If I'd told him that I thought he had feelings for you, it wouldn't have gone well. I would have been pretty much saying 'I'm leaving you because I think you're gay' and that would have been cruel, especially for a guy his age. I figured he'd come around to his own conclusions, but I never expected this."

Neither had Bee. He'd told Mikaela everything, editing out some of the more graphic details, including his decision not to tell Sam of his feelings. Kaela hadn't agreed with that one so much. She felt it was Bee's pride more than anything holding him back, and didn't see how it was bound to do anyone any good.

And then, on the drive back to Sam's house, after they'd parted ways with Barricade, Bee got a text message from Mikaela.

_**If Sam doesn't come around on his own, I'm going to tell him how you feel.**_

Bee's tank had dropped. He was surprised he didn't find it dragging around on the ground somewhere. But still, he didn't tell Mikaela no. He didn't beg her not to. He kinda had an idea that even if Kaela called him right now, at this very instant, he wouldn't follow through on his idea to blackmail her out of telling Sam. Maybe he _did_ want Sam to know.

Maybe he just didn't want to be the one to tell him.

* * *

Sam opened his eyes to find himself standing in a bright and cheerful kitchen, complete with a red and white checkered table cloth and matching drapes over the sink. There were even cookies on the table. Oooo, chocolate chip!

Dazed, Sam wandered around the rest of the small apartment, taking in the bright happy space of the living room, and the simply decorated bedroom.

The bathroom was decorated with cows.

Stunned, Sam turned to look into Cade's grinning face. "Cade, you didn't off some old lady and take her house did you?"

Looking completely serious, Cade said, "Sure I did. Do you like?"

Sam looked sick. The green look quickly turned to an annoyed red when Barricade's laughter boomed out at him. "I wasn't being serious. This is Gramma's garage apartment. My alt form is parked below us."

"Gramma?"

Cade looked slightly defensive. "She's my friend. I thought maybe it was time you met her."

Still more than a little stunned, Sam asked, "How did YOU meet her?"

"I offered her a ride." There was more to it than that, way more, and as Cade tried to explain he looked away from Sam, out the window. This was the only part he felt uncomfortable with. How was he, a Decepticon, supposed to explain how lonely he was all by himself? He didn't know how to explain to Sam that he'd seen Gramma walking down the sidewalk to the store in her usual painful looking rolling gait, hands perched on canes while the sunlight glinted off the cumbersome metal braces on her legs, and admired her tenacity and courage. So yeah, this squishy was more feeble than others, but she'd taken her lot in life, and he could look at the cheerful and kind expression on her face and know she wasn't resentful or bitter.

When he'd offered her a ride to where ever she was going, Gramma had looked right into his sunglasses and said, "Young man, did it ever occur to you that I don't need a ride?"

Her reaction startled Barricade into honesty and he replied, "Did it ever occur to you that I might just want some company?"

Gramma looked at him hard for a few moments, as if she could read his intent in the lines of his artificial skin, then said, "Well, since you put it that way, everyone calls me Gramma, and I'm going to the store."

Sam was really dumbfounded now. "Doesn't she know that's dangerous? Getting in the car with strangers? Especially ones that look like you?"

"You got in the car with me."

"You threw me in the car with you."

"... A minor technicality. Besides, she knew I meant her no harm. Gramma seems to just... know some things." Cade thought for a minute. "I'm quite sure she knows I'm not human. She never comes up here looking for my holo, instead, she just goes in the garage and talks to my car alt."

Gramma (that's what everyone calls me) was nothing like Sam expected. She was clearly quite old, with long, thick white hair, but she had a spryness to her that didn't quite mesh with the heavy braces on her legs. She caught Sam looking at them and informed him that she'd contracted Polio as a child. I was one of the lucky ones, she said. I lived.

Sam figured she had a point there. She'd endeared herself to him in more ways than one, mostly though, by managing to make Cade blush. As soon as Sam got all the way down the stairs, her face lit right up and and she said, "Why, you must be Cade's special friend. Sam. I've heard all about you."

Sam raised an eyebrow in Cade's direction, but the 'Con didn't see it as he was too busy looking at his own tire. They took her to the hothouse to buy some new flowers, and while she chatted on the way, she was never boring.

She also owned them both in a game of Hearts.

On the way back to Sam's house, he told Cade, "What kind of super, advanced alien robot lets an old woman beat him at cards?"

Cade gave Sam a look that reminded Sam of a wet cat, then said, "She's tricky."

"So that's where you go when you're not with me?"

"Most of the time, yes. I enjoy her company."

Sam could understand that, he did, too. "I'm glad you took me there Cade, I really like her."

Barricade pulled into Sam's driveway, and pulled Sam to him for a sweet, brief kiss. "So do I."

Sam wrapped his arms around Cade, pulling him close. God, why did everything have to be so complicated? Sam wanted everything to be simple, to be able to make Barricade happy. "I want to invite you in... but..."

"I understand, Sam. I do. I will see you soon."

"Very soon?"

"Yes."

Cade watched Sam enter the house, flashed his lights at Bumblebee, as much to taunt him as to be friendly, and pulled out of the driveway. He would go to Gramma's and park for tonight.

He hadn't been on the road long when he received a message over his comm-link. Puzzled as to whom it could be, he opened the comm and had to stop himself from shuddering as he felt Soundwave's presence over the link. First, a set of coordinates, then:

**Barricade, Decepticon designation number 11008, you are to report to me immediately at the previously disclosed location.**

* * *

A/N: I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with this chapter, but, it is what it is, and if I screw around with it anymore, it will not help. Gramma is a favorite of mine, and I couldn't resist putting her in here. I think she will play a key role in events that unfold later, I just haven't figured out how exactly.

At any rate, I hope y'all enjoy. I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, and hopefully the next one won't be such a long wait.

Last but not least, I do appreciate all the feedback-- reviews, faves, and alerts. Thanks bunches!!

Xen


	6. The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

A/N: Text messages are in _italics_. Cybertronian Wi-Fi comm-link is in **bold**.

A Trip to the Skate Park

Chapter 6: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Soundwave's original plan had been to rocket straight to Earth, (which was, in his opinion, a stupid name for a planet, and he had every intention of sharing that opinion with the other Decepticons) plunging through the planet's atmosphere like a mighty meteor, and destroying everything in his path. That was the plan. At least until he saw the curious device orbiting the planet. It would be prudent to take a closer look. After all, the human wasn't going anywhere, he could exact his revenge shortly, and if the device turned out to be worthwhile, it would be worth the stop. If not, he'd destroy it and continue on.

He slowed considerably, pacing the object, joining its orbital path. He scanned it carefully, and was pleased that he'd stopped. It was human, pathetically crude compared to Cybertronian technology, but it _was_ one of their communication satellites.

Soundwave latched on to it delicately, so as not to damage the fragile metals of earth. His protoform retracted from its protective casing, and he latched on to the satellite with a firmer grip, letting his head take its normal form, face mask raised, but the rest of him... well that was far from normal. He rode the device piggy-back, like a strange parasite, letting near-organic cables snake their way into its innermost workings. Soon he had a continuous flow of information, not only from the people on the planet, but from other satellites.

Soundwave was in the _know. _He could find almost anyone, anywhere. And, while he had not tested the theory, he was quite sure he'd be able to use the satellite to channel his telepathy, amplifying its power, allowing him to scan beings on the planet.

He sent his message to Barricade.

* * *

Barricade was more than a little shocked to receive orders from Soundwave, demanding he go to specific coordinates, which, just so happened to be about an hour outside Mission City. True, he was used to being ordered around, he was just a soldier, a scout, it wasn't up to him to make the important decisions, merely to do as he was told. Indeed, the shocking bit was that he'd had no idea that Soundwave was even on Earth, and that definitely made him wonder. With N.E.S.T. fully operational, and a complete Autobot base being built he didn't think it would be possible to for any new Cybertronians, friend or foe, to make a landing on the planet anonymously. Clearly he'd been wrong.

He drove the speed limit. Changing from his police guise had caused him a few problems, one of which—he could no longer speed properly. He really didn't want to attract attention from the human police, it could cause unnecessary complications. So he kept to the limit, and used the time to think.

Barricade supposed that Soundwave would want a status report. That was highly likely. He also supposed that Soundwave would want to know why, exactly, he had not participated in the battle at Mission City. That was easy enough. He'd been delayed by the fight (and wreckage from it) between Optimus Prime and Bonecrusher, and by the time he'd arrived, he knew the Decepticons were on the losing side of the battle. Barricade was no coward, but he wasn't stupid either. Why get himself turned to scrap fighting a lost battle when instead he could live to fight another day? He did, however, hope that someone had already informed Soundwave of Frenzy's fate. Barricade didn't want to be the one to tell the much larger mech of his creation's fate. Soundwave was much older, and much larger than Barricade. He didn't really want to fight him unless it was unavoidable.

Unfortunately, Barricade was well aware that Soundwave wouldn't take his mere word for granted. Oh, no. He would be mentally scanned. He had no fear really. Soundwave's telepathic scans hurt, yes, but Barricade was definitely no stranger to pain. He didn't like the _feel_ of it. The feel of Soundwave's _essence_, his presence sliding through his processors, seeming to turn into a living entity that slid through his hoses and cables like the energon he needed to survive. It was a rather... off-putting sensation. So, while he didn't relish what was to come, he didn't fear it.

After all, he had _nothing_ to hide.

* * *

Sam spent the day with Bumblebee.

The first thing they'd done, was go to AutoZone. This was not Sam's idea. In fact, Bee had deliberately taken the steering controls from Sam, and drove them into the AutoZone parking lot. It was enough of a hint.

He dutifully followed Bee's holo into the store, and spent a good thirty minutes buying every kind of car washing supplies known to man. Bee had stood there grinning at him, as he paid the tab, which came to exactly $119.26. As they left the store and walked to Bee's (real body? Other body? It was kind of confusing to Sam) he said, "I guess you'll be wanting a bath?"

Bee just grinned even wider.

Sam delivered his most put-upon sigh. "Fine, but it's gonna cost ya. And it's gonna have to be later 'cause Mom will never leave me alone if I don't get some new jeans. She says I look homeless."

Sam stopped just in front of the bright yellow Camaro, and looked down at himself. Sure, his clothes were a little... worn.. but he didn't think they were a walking advertisement for vagrancy. Of course, he also didn't know how to look at things like a woman would (who did?) so maybe his Mom was seeing something he wasn't.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he walked to the Camaro's passenger side, and informed Bee, "You're driving, since you can't seem to exercise self-control. Shame on you Bee, it's what separates us from the animals."

Bee threw back his head an laughed. When Sam settled into his seat (and oh, it felt so good having him there) he adjusted the radio station.

_You and me, baby, ain't nothing but mammals, so lets do it like they do on the Discovery Channel..._

Sam could feel himself starting to blush, which was ridiculous, as he knew full well that Bee was only joking around... even though a small traitorous part way deep down wished he wasn't. "Haha, very funny. Real cute, Bee. But, I hate to break it to you, you aren't a mammal." Sam glanced over at Bee, and faltered somewhat. Was he just imagining things, or was the look Bee giving him rather... heated? No, it couldn't be. Bumblebee had already made his feelings clear. But still, more flustered than ever Sam said, "Can we—can we just go and get me some pants now?"

Bee briefly considered telling Sam that he didn't need to wear any pants, but read the boys hormone levels and decided against it. As it was, the song was enough to embarrass him. Smiling to himself, Bee pulled out of AutoZone, and started making his way to the nearest department store.

Later that day, Sam and Bee parked at the look out, under the shade of the tree. Sam lounged, stretched out on Bee's hood as they listened to music. Occasionally, they'd talk, but mostly, the just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. Sam decided he was glad Bee had left his holo turned off. For some reason, he felt having the holo-Bee present would make him... less comfortable.

Not that he didn't enjoy having the holo version of his friend with him. Since Bee had gotten his holo-projection unit fixed, the most he'd really used it for was kicking Barricade's tires and helping Sam's Mom out in her garden. Today, had given Sam an idea of just how liberating Bee's holo would be for their friendship.

They'd been so limited in what they could do together before. For instance, if he'd taken Bee to the store before, poor Bee would have had sit in the parking lot while Sam went in alone. Today, though, Bee had come with him, and Sam had actually gotten an idea why women always went shopping in groups. It was more fun than going alone. He'd picked up a pair of jeans, eyeballing the size, and Bee had said, "Wow, those'll make your ass look huge." Hell, Sam was still laughing about that.

And they hadn't even been to the movies yet.

The fact that Bee was a girl magnet hadn't gone unnoticed by Sam, either. Women had been going out of there way to get Bee's attention, not that Sam could blame them. All it took was one look at his soft, blond, windblown hair, or his gentle blue eyes, or his full lips, and he knew he—

… Dear God, what was he thinking?? How could he possibly be thinking that kind of stuff about his best friend? One, that, in Sam's opinion he was lucky to still have considering his relationship with Barricade. What was his problem? Was he just—

Blessedly, his cell phone, gave a quick buzz, followed rapidly by another. He had a text message! Something to keep his mind off his current line of thinking, which was definitely disturbing. He shifted slightly, to give himself freer access to his pocket and pulled out his phone, so he could check the message.

_Mikaela: I have 2 tell u. U need 2 know._

_Sam: What?_

_Mikaela: Bumblebee is n love with u._

Sam stared dumbly at the last message. Was she smoking something? There had to be some mistake. Mikaela must have some wires crossed. Either that, or she just wanted to get Sam to stop seeing Barricade. He'd known she wasn't too thrilled about the idea when he'd taken Cade to her uncle's shop for repairs. Still, he didn't think she'd stoop to lying about something like this just to interfere with his relationship. He answered her: _I think u have some wires crossed._

Then a few seconds later,

_Mikaela: No. He loves you._

_Sam: How do you know?_

_Mikaela: He told me._

That bit of news gave Sam pause. It was so frustrating tapping out each message a letter at a time, but he didn't want to call her, not when Bee could hear everything they said. Sam sighed and thought for a few minutes. She said that Bee told her. He really couldn't see her lying about something like that. So, what? Was Bee trying to get Mikaela to play match-maker?

_Sam: He wanted u 2 tell me?_

_Mikaela: No. He will rat me out 4 it._

_Sam: ???_

_Mikaela: To Ratchet. _

_Sam: U like Ratchet?_

_Mikaela: That's not the point! I told u on my own._

_Sam: Why?_

This time, her answer took longer, but finally:

_Mikaela: Cuz I think u love Bee 2._

* * *

Barricade was in the middle of the desert. No trees, no hills, and most importantly, no Soundwave. That made him anxious. He knew he'd gotten the coordinates straight, so why wasn't Soundwave here to get on with the debriefing? He decided it was best if he waited. He let himself settle on his axles just a touch, and then he exploded.

Or, at least, that's what it felt like. He'd gone from mentally bitching about the gritty feel of the sand underneath his tires, to planet consuming pain. He felt as though a wild animal had burrowed its way into his internal mechanisms and started clawing at his delicate inner workings... clawing and ripping them apart unmercifully. He started gearing himself up, trying to fight the pain so he could begin to launch a counter-attack, but he didn't know what to attack, there was nothing there.

Then he felt it. The unbearable coldness as Soundwave's telepathic power, increased to the nth power, superimposed some of Soundwave's own reptilian personality on to Barricade's. His processor cracked under unrelenting pressure, and soon, he was seeing flashes of memory as Soundwave saw them: Sam bringing him to overload status in the grassy clearing, himself kicking Bee's tires as Bee's holo kicked his, his holo using Sam for pleasure, taking him from behind at Mikaela's, the battle with Bumblebee that got him there, watching Sam eat cookies at Gramma's house, all those things and more, flashed before his optics in the blink of a human eye as Soundwave perused his thoughts as though reading a good book.

When the onslaught against his processors ceased, Barricade wanted to sag on his axles with relief, but held himself still. He didn't know where Soundwave was, and it was unwise to show weakness. He waited for Soundwave to either blow him to slag or open a wi-fi communication channel. Soundwave's did the latter.

**Explain.**

**The battle at Mission City was destined for failure when I arrived--**

**About the boy.**

**I know his movements. I have gained his trust, Sir.**

Barricade caught a hint of Soundwave's distaste through the comm-link, **And you're interaction with him?**

Barricade mentally shrugged. **I saw no reason not to enjoy myself. Besides it created an added bonus. **Unable to contain it, Barricade's glee was obvious to Soundwave as he transmitted, **The boy has fallen in love with me.**

**Does the old woman have any significance?**

**Only in that she adds to my credibility. The misunderstood Decepticon, befriending old, crippled fleshlings... so much easier to trust. _To Love_. I have even gained the yellow Autobot's trust, to a lesser degree.**

Soundwave considered Barricade's words. He'd always thought of Barricade as little more than a pawn that did only as he was told. He'd underestimated the Decepticon scout's taste for inflicting agony. It was easy to cause pain with rendered flesh and bone, with brutal physical force. It was far more difficult to bring about the true agony of psychological suffering, something that, as a telepath, Soundwave had a great appreciation for. He knew from the millions of communications he monitored through the satellite, as well as the plethora of information available on the Internet how much of themselves people put into loving one another. Physically, emotionally, mentally. He knew that Barricade's betrayal would wound the boy far more deeply than any mortal cut or blow. He was pleased.

**You know what you have to do?**

The ferocity of Barricade's answer was a pleasant surprise for Soundwave...

_**With pleasure.**_

* * *

Sam thanked God that Bee wasn't one to pry. He hadn't even asked who was texting Sam, probably figuring that if Sam wanted to share, he would. Sam didn't want to share. Not at all. He'd been sitting for a couple of hours, trying to look relaxed and only half-assed paying attention to the radio, all the while, his brains were running around in circles.

And he'd accomplished nothing.

In fact, rather than being productive, his brains had started to feel like a large lump of mashed potatoes inside his skull. The only thing he'd decided upon for certain was Mikaela's honesty. He believed she was telling the truth. He'd also decided he wanted to find out a bit more about her crush on Ratchet. As crotchety as the old medic could be, it was bound to be interesting. As for that last bit though, about him being in love with Bee, well, he'd decided not to examine that too closely for the time being. Instead, he was looking at the other side of it, Bee's side. Could Bumblebee be in love with him? That seemed a little far-fetched. Though, when he thought about, it seemed even more far-fetched that Barricade would love him, after all, he was a Decepticon. He thought back, examining the fight between Bee and Barricade. At the time, Sam had thought the viciousness of the fight had merely been a Decepticon/Autobot sorta thing, at least on Bee's side of it. Bee had already known that Barricade wouldn't hurt Sam, he'd seen them together at that clearing. Now he was starting to think Bee's blood-thirst had been fueled, not by an ages long feud between sides, but by jealousy.

Bee shook himself lightly under Sam to get his attention. "It's getting late Sam. We should probably get back to the house."

"Yeah." Sam was a little reluctant to go. Despite, the recent addition of confusion, and mashed-potato brains, Sam had enjoyed being with Bumblebee, and didn't really look forward to it ending.

He slid off the hood, and climbed into the passenger seat. At once, he was presented with a new problem. Before Mikaela told him about Bee's feelings, he'd always been extremely comfortable sitting inside Bee's car form. Now, though, he was very aware of his hands, and what they might be touching. He settled them in his lap instead of letting them flop down all over the place like he normally did.

If Bee could tell he was tense, he didn't comment on it. The ride back to his house was uneventful, and after a few minutes, Sam was almost able to get himself back to normal. This was _Bee_, he told himself, it didn't _matter_ where he put his hands, or how he sat.

When they got back to Sam's house, it was no surprise that Barricade was parked along the street waiting for him. As they pulled in the driveway, Cade started his engine and pulled forward, parking behind Bumblebee.

Cade's holo walked up as Sam was getting out of his seat. He gave a curt nod in Bee's direction, clearly trying to be polite, sort of, and hugged Sam gently. "Did you have a good day?"

Sam grinned. He couldn't help it. Seeing Cade made him feel light and happy, and for a few minutes, his problems ceased to exist. "I had a great day. What about you?"

"Not bad," Barricade lied smoothly, "I spent the day with Gramma, trying to redeem myself at cards."

"Did you?"

"Not at all. Have time for a ride? I'd like to catch up." He gave Sam a look that said talking wasn't all that was on his processor.

"Well, its 9 o'clock now, curfew's at 11. So, I have a little time, anyway."

"I can live with that."

Sam patted Bee's door. "See ya when I get home, Bee?"

"Of course."

Smiling, Sam walked around to Cade's passenger door. His smile tried to falter when thoughts of Bee's feelings flitted through his mind, but he heaved it back into place. Bee was already aware of the situation, and he certainly couldn't start ignoring Barricade now.

Sam slid into the seat, as always, enjoying the way the leather seemed to mold to his body, as if Cade was trying to get as close to him as possible. He'd thought they were probably going to go to the clearing they'd went to before, but evidently he was wrong because Cade turned in the opposite direction. They were silent for a bit, and Sam watched Cade's dark haired holo 'drive'.

"Where are we going?"

Cade answered him first with a grin, "It's a surprise."

Sam leaned over the center console and licked Cade from his collarbone to his ear. He gasped when he suddenly found himself into Cade's arms, held harshly in a crushing embrace that was both desperate and a little frightening. He opened his mouth, at Cade's quietly frantic urging, only to find the velvety softness plundered by the warmth of Cade's tongue. Sam squirmed in the too-tight embrace, struggling to get closer to Cade, to press fully against him. His cock was a hard throbbing ridge in his jeans, and his stomach tightened with need, with anticipation of Cade's touch that would, oh, please God, come soon.

And then it ended. Cade pushed him gently back to his seat, and buckled the seat belt around him. "When we get where we're going, Sam."

"Where are we going?"

Cade rolled his eyes. "I already told you it was a surprise."

"Worth a shot."

Looking around, Sam realized they'd already left Tranquility, heading West, toward a small industrial town called Marksville. Normally, it was about a 45 minute drive, Sam had been there a few times, but Cade, usually so watchful of the speed limit, was clearly in a hurry, because only enough minutes to equal about half of that had gone by, and already they were almost there. Just in case, he put his hands in his lap. If they did get pulled over, Sam really didn't want the cop to see the bulge pushing up under his zipper. Cade chuckled lightly at Sam's antics, and received a shitty look for his mirth.

Another few minutes went by, and they were cruising through the center of the town, heading for the out-laying area of closed and condemned factories and warehouses on the outskirts of the dying town. Sam heard the soft snick of the door locks engaging, and started to ask Barricade why he'd locked them when his seat belt tightened hard, lashing him to the back of his seat as effectively as an length of rope. He couldn't lean forward at all. He pulled at the belt, trying to get it to loosen up, and when that failed, he tried the buckle itself, only to find it locked.

"Cade? Cade what's going on?"

Cade's holo ignored him, then flickered out of existence. For the first time since Cade had initially shoved him into his Mustang alt on their first meeting, Sam's arousal abandoned him, and he started to feel the first twinges of fear.

Cade, now appearing driver-less, slowed down in front of a gigantic, dilapidated old factory. He drove around to the back, ignoring Sam's frantic and slightly panicky questions. Barricade stopped in front a large metal door that must have easily been twenty feet high and ten feet wide. He waited for only a second, and the door started rolling up.

"Cade, please. Tell me what's going on! Talk to me, Cade. _Please_..."

Leathery wings of panic and confusion beat inside Sam's chest and head. Cade was ignoring his questions, ignoring him, as though he didn't exist. He was bound to his seat, and locked in almost like he was Cade's prisoner, rather than his lover. The metal door rolled up far enough to allow Cade entry, and he idled in almost lazily, not bothering to depress the gas pedal.

Barricade's headlights didn't illuminate much inside the cavernous interior of the old factory. They reflected off the far back wall and indirectly lit some of the building to either side. The tons of equipment that was once housed there was removed, probably sold for scrap. It took a few seconds for Sam's eyes to adjust enough for him to see much more, and the little he could see, was enough to make him wish for blindness.

Terror turned his blood to sluggish ice crystals. Pain seemed to set his soul on fire. What he saw—the faint gleam of light reflecting on metal exoskeletons, and the bright glow of red eyes—confirmed his earlier observation and his deepest fears.

He _was_ Barricade's prisoner.

He was the _Decepticon's_ prisoner.

* * *

A/N: As always, thanks so much to everyone that takes the time to read this! I decided to set this a little before the second movie. I couldn't really make it blend in with the events of RoTF, and keep to the story as I'd originally intended. Anyway, I hope ya'll think this chapter is worth the wait, and I promise I'll start on the next one as soon as I can. Enjoy!

Xen


	7. Trust Me

A Trip to the Skate Park

Chapter 7: Trust Me

Getting ready to meet Ratchet was always a complicated process. It didn't used to be. At one time, Mikaela would just slap on whatever clothes happened to be handy, throw her hair up in a pony tail, chuck on some make-up and viola! ready to go.

Not anymore.

Since the Autobots and the U.S. government had started building an actual base for the 'bots to call home, and Ratchet had finally gotten a medical bay, he'd been teaching Mikaela the art of becoming a Cybertronian medic. She suspected he had two reasons for doing this. For one, he really seemed to enjoy teaching. For another, well, it was very likely that soon they would be in all out war with the Decepticons, and Ratchet seemed to feel like it would be wise to have another person with at least rudimentary triage skills.

Mikaela was cool with that. She found them endlessly fascinating. She didn't fool herself any though, there was no way she could ever work as a human doctor. Nope, too gross. All blood and guts that all looked alike. The Cybertronians, though, that was a different story. They were mechanical. She would never say so to one of them because she had the feeling it might be taken as a slight, but to her, patching up one of them was a lot like working on a car.

And she loved it. Who would have thought it would take a super-advanced race of giant alien robots falling out of the sky to help her find her true calling?

Mikaela loved working with Ratchet, too. For someone so often grouchy, he could be endlessly patient when he was explaining the functions of some of the more intricate Cybertronian parts, or when he was trying to explain to her what a transmogrifier was used for. At first, Mikaela saw him only as her teacher, her mentor. But then she started noticing things. Just little things at first. Like how his dry, acerbic humor could keep her laughing most of the day. How dedicated he was to his work, and how he actually cared about his commrades. Ratchet was different from human doctors. There was no money or glory involved in his work, he did it only because he cared about his people.

Then she started noticing other, more disturbing things. Like how gracefully his hands moved when he was working, and how sexy that was. Even his slightly clipped British accent was enormously attractive to her. And speaking of his accent, she was able to talk to him for hours on any topic without getting bored, or they could slip into an easy comfortable silence that lasted for hours. She'd never even been able to do that with Sam.

Mikaela realized her attraction to Ratchet all at once. One moment she was blissfully ignorant of such feelings, and the next, they crashed in on her, like they'd been creeping around just waiting for the right moment. Of course, that was when she'd started having problems.

Like the 'getting ready' thing. She was never sure what to wear now. She didn't want to get too dressed up because then Ratchet might think she was doing it for him. She would be, but she didn't want him knowing that, either. She also worried about dressing too far down because she didn't want him to think she was letting herself go. In the end, she decided she should just invest in a pair of 'work' cover-alls and call it good.

She also didn't know how to act around him anymore. She tried to act normal, but usually failed. Mikaela was afraid that if Ratchet suspected she had feelings beyond the realm of teacher/student, he might not want to teach her anymore. Then, not only would she lose her time with the medic, she'd potentially lose her dream job.

Shit.

And now, that destiny was very close at hand. She was quite sure that Ratchet had nothing but platonic feelings for her, and she was also sure he didn't know how she felt for him (she was always careful to watch her thoughts around him, she knew full well he could read her hormones as easily as she could read a Dick and Jane children's primer), but all that was going to change very soon.

Mikaela was very sure that Bee was telling the truth when he said he'd rat her out to Ratchet if she told Sam that Bee loved him, but she'd done it anyway. She couldn't help it. Pride was the only reason Bee hadn't said anything himself, and as far as Mikaela was concerned it was looking like he was about ready to pride himself right into a very lonely life. Besides, she'd always suspected Sam had deeper feelings for Bee than even he knew about, that's why she'd broken up with him in the first place. It was easier to let it go then, as opposed to waiting until their relationship advanced even further.

And now, as soon as Bumblebee discovered she spilled the beans, he would tell Ratchet all about Mikaela's feelings for him.

At first, the idea terrified her. Then, oddly enough, she'd felt a tension knot inside her loosen and release. Maybe it was better if her feelings were out in the open. Maybe then she could be herself around the medic. Besides, Ratchet wasn't some dumbassed teenager boy. When the truth came out, she'd simply tell him that she understands Ratchet's lack of feelings towards her, and hopes that they can still remain friends.

That was actually a pretty good plan.

Grinning to herself, Mikaela finished getting dressed and ran outside to her motorcycle.

It didn't take her long to get to the base (she was speeding), and she found Ratchet in the back of the bay, organizing some equipment. He heard her walk in, and without turning around asked, "Having a good day?"

"Great, the weather's really nice today."

_Oh my God, that was so LAME_! If she could have slapped herself without Ratchet thinking she'd lost her mind, she would have. Instead, she tried to cover her lameness by pointing out the obvious and making it a question, "Organizing some stuff?"

Ratchet turned to look at her, his faceplates arranged in the closest he ever got to a smile. She could hear the air cycling through his intakes and briefly thought about how comforting that sound was.

"Yes. I must apologize. I don't think today will be very interesting for you. I will be responsible for treating some of the human soldiers as well as the Autobots. I was hoping you wouldn't mind helping me organize some of the human supplies that have just come in."

_Why did he have to have such a nice voice?_

"Sure. Easier for me to do it, my hands are smaller."

Ratchet pointed her in the right direction, and she got to work. She would place supplies and things in bins, and neatly label them. Some things she wasn't too sure where to put, so she just put them where she thought they should go. They also had a small pharmacy worth of drugs, antibiotics and what not. She knew nothing about them really, but decided to alphabetize them by generic name. She wasn't too worried about Ratchet being able to find things, after all, he was a robot, he'd know exactly where everything was the first time he looked.

Mikaela got so caught up in her work, she didn't even realize that the sun had set, and darkenss had fallen.

"It's getting late Mikaela. Perhaps you should tell your father you're going to be here for the night. I really don't think you should be riding around on your human death-machine after dark."

"You know, Ratch, it does have lights on it. But I don't mind staying here."

Ratchet scowled at her. Now that was a look she was familar with. "Mikaela, are you alright?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. It is just that you seem--"

Mikaela never got to find out exactly how she seemed because at that moment Ratchet cocked his head sharply to the side, like he was listening to something she couldn't hear. And he probably was.

Ratchet moved lightening fast across the med-bay to the giant sized door, once again making Mikaela wonder how beings that were so huge could be so agile and graceful. "I have to go. Bumblebee is in a panic, he may do something rash."

"What? What's going on? Ratchet!"

"I don't have time to explain, we're meeting out front." He interrupted her before she even had a chance to get the words out. "No, Mikaela. You stay here. Just go on to your quarters. Go!"

Without another word, Ratchet spun on his heel and left at a run. Mikaela could hear the other Autobots doing the same. Wherever they were going, they were in a hurry to get there. And Mikaela was left alone, worried and disapointed.

* * *

He must have passed out. One second he was looking around in pure terror, the next, he was opening his eyes to a scene that distilled his terror to an even finer quality. Sam was pretty sure it was fear or shock that triggered his escape from awareness. At the moment, at least he was in no physical pain.

He looked around, desperately, but soon realized he had no out. He was chained to a cold metal table, spread-eagle, with his hands above his head. And he was surrounded. He of course recognized Barricade, and there, beside him, was Starscream, but there were at least five other Decepticons that he had no names for. They surrounded his table, in a wide circle, not yet bearing down on him, but close enough for him to see them. Even if he could somehow magically escape his bonds, there was nowhere to go.

Starscream's shrill voice rang out over the jeering crowd, "The boy cannot be killed, we have plans for him. But we can keep him. We can _break_ him."

More jeering. And then, Barricade was being pushed, closer to the table. Sam looked him carefully, and saw that his face, like the others, showed only vicious, vindictive pleasure. Looking closer, Sam was unsuprised to see that Barricade's hands were once again sharp, talon-like spikes. Once, he'd taken such pride in the fact that Barricade had changed his hands just for him. Now, it was all he could do not to hide his face in shame. He'd fallen for Barricade, hook, line, and sinker. He'd risked everything, his life, and his friendships for the Decepticon because he'd believed that maybe there was something decent in him, and he'd been fooled.

He almost wished they would tear him to shreds. No physical pain, no matter how mortal the wound could ever be as bad as the burning humilation and sense of loss he felt as he watched his lover look on him with nothing but cold hatred and triumph in his eyes.

Barricade stepped even closer to Sam, towering over him as he lay shivering on the metal table. He lowered one wicked looking claw, and with one swipe, shredded all of Sam's outer clothing, leaving only his boxers intact.

Inanely, Sam thought, _Now I know why Mom always insisted I never leave home without putting on clean underwear._

Roughly, Barricade yanked the remaining scraps of clothing from beneath Sam's back, so that he was lying only on the cold table. His skin siezed up into gooseflesh, and he turned his head. He didn't need a PowerPoint presentation to figure out what was coming next, and he decided that no matter what happened, he wouldn't cry or beg. They had already wrung enough humilation out of him, he wouldn't help them add to it.

The felt the sharp edge of one of Barricade's claws tracing over his skin, ever so lightly, and for one terrible moment, he thought he was going to have to fight his body once again, just like that first time Barricade had shoved him into his car-alt.

The cold chill of the table put an end to that. Thank God. Still, though, the tracing continued. _He's probably trying to decide where and how deep he can cut without killing me. Wouldn't want to go against orders._

Then Sam started noticing patterns in the way his claw moved over his flesh. It wasn't random. Not at all. It was a game they used to play. Sam would stretch out on Barricade, and 'write' messages on the metal skin of his hood with one finger, and see if Barricade could figure out what he was trying to tell him. They'd both actually gotten really good at it, and they were able to send each other fairly long messages that way.

Putting his fear aside for a moment, but not turning his head or opening his eyes, Sam started to concentrate. After a second to get himself together, he had no problems understanding.

A small light of hope glimmered. Sam so wanted to believe the words Cade was tracing on his skin, but at the same time, he was nearly convinced it was a trick.

Using their secret game (secret, because Sam thought it was a silly thing for a guy to enjoy) Cade had managed to convey a simple two word message to Sam:

TRUST ME.

* * *

A/N: It's been awhile, eh? I hope it's been worth the wait for you guys. As I get busier, it gets harder to update in a timely fashion, though, I will admit, this probably would have been out a few days sooner if I hadn't gotten side-tracked writing an Optimus/Mikaela fic-- Death Do Us Part. I couldn't help it though, the plot bunnies wouldn't leave me alone. XD Still, better late than never? For all of you that have been hanging in there with this fic, thanks more than you know. The response to this story was really suprising to me. 18,000 hits, 164 alerts, and 98 faves. WOW! All ya'll rock!

I hope I deserve it =)

Xen


	8. Unknown Sender

A/N: The response to the last chapter was like, WOW. You guys really do rok out loud. It was all the motivation I needed to start THIS chapter. I actually paid attention to what ya'll told me, and most of you wished the last chapter had been longer. As a result, this chapter is about three times longer Chapter 7. I tend to streamline stories and take out most of the stuff that doesn't further the plot in some fashion. I didn't do that this time, I let some of the day-to-day stuff stand. Oh, and this chapter dips it's big toe into the smutty cesspool from which it was born.

::Looks innocent::

* * *

A Trip to the Skate Park

Chapter 8: Unknown Sender

Bumblebee was listening to really sappy country music. Hearing how someone had managed to somehow lose his woman, his truck, and his dog all in the same day really wasn't helping him cheer up much. Maybe he should surf the 'net for some old Jerry Springer episodes. At least then, he could watch with smug superiority, knowing no matter slaggy his life currently felt, at least he hadn't sunken to the level of announcing it on national television. Giant Alien Robots That Love Too Much, next time on Jerry Springer. Primus. At least that was vaguely amusing. The country music was just making him brood more. If he had had a beer, there would be a tear in it.

And, he had so much to brood about. Bee loved Sam. Sam loved Barricade. Mikaela wanted to tell Sam that Bee loved him (definitely Springer material, all they had to do now was throw chairs at each other). Life used to be so much simpler. In some ways, he longed for a much simpler life, the one he used to have on Cybertron. Oh sure, after he got old enough to fight in the war (and by that time, it was really cooking good) life was plenty complicated. Before that, when he was younger, still considered a sparkling, life had been soooo much easier.

He didn't know much of his true creators. He'd been raised by the Autobots, Ironhide in particular. They did not try to take the place of his Creators. Indeed, they made it clear that none of the Autobots had created him. Not out of cruelty, but out of respect for his true Creators. Bee had precious few memories of them, and the Autobots wanted to make sure he cherished those memories, and respected his Creator's sacrifice. He'd been rescued from a Sparkling Care Facility after the last neutral city in Cybertron had fallen to Decepticons. He'd been pulled from the wreckage by Optimus Prime himself, and for the longest time he'd follwed the Autobot leader with an obvious case of hero-worship.

He'd trained of course, as a sparkling, well once he got older, and bigger. He'd always known that he wanted to fight for the Autobot cause. His Creators had died rather than join the Decepticons. It didn't even matter if he died for the cause, because without the Autobots he wouldn't have a life to give. But back then, his days had been fairly routine. After lessons, he'd run around the base with a sparkling-strength energon cube, always under the watchful eye of whomever wasn't on duty. There was always the fear that someone he loved wouldn't come back, but his caretakers, now his commrades, had always tried to make sure he was as insulated from the realities of war as possible, at least until he got older.

His love life was a lot less complicated on Cybertron. He'd had a huge crush on Arcee when he was smaller, something she never failed to rib him about now. He'd constantly made her the weirdest presents, and she never failed to ooooo and ahhhh over them, as if she could actually tell what in the pit they were supposed to be (she couldn't, she'd admitted that when she arrived on Earth).

After he was 'grown' as a human would put it, he'd of course spark-melded on several occasions. Cybertronians, and Bee by default, didn't look at sparking the way humans tended to look at their sex. For humans, it was mostly physical, for Cybertronians, the melding of sparks was all about sharing the other person's feelings and memories, and the overload that resulted was just a happy side-effect, it wasn't necessarily the goal. For them, femme or mech didn't matter, all that mattered was friendship and caring.

Bee knew that Sam would be horrified to find out that he and the other Autobots had spark-melded with each other on numerous occasions. Which is why, of course, they didn't tell them, they'd learned enough about human culture to know it would be considered promiscuous or taboo.

Perhaps he should seek out one of the others. It would be nice to share in someone else's happiness and even their pain. It would help him forget about his own for awhile. Most anyone would be game, except for maybe Optimus. He'd never melded with the Prime... Now, there was something to think about. Optimus had never initiated that kind of bond with Bumblebee, but then again Bee had always kind of, sort of, shied away from the very idea.

_Well, he's THE PRIME for Primus' sake, and I'm just a lowly, peon scout. He gives me complexes. Like, how I'm short._

Bee grumbled to himself, and shifted on his shocks. He needed to get over that. He was older now, not some sparkling looking at Optimus in the grip of pure awed amazement. He knew that Optimus wasn't the shining, untouchable pillar of pure noble that Bee had considered him to be when he was a sparkling.

Well. Yeah. He was.

But still, the years had changed Bee, he'd grown not only in height and age, but in experience, and he could look at things more rationally. He was close to Optimus, and if he was going to be honest with himself, his own past skittishness would have been a big old STOP sign for Optimus. He would never do anything to cause Bee discomfort. It was worth thinking about. It wasn't as if initiating a spark-meld with the leader would be the equivalent of pledging life long romantic love, quite the opposite. Bee thought it would comforting, and really, Optimus looked like he could use some comforting of his own these days. He was always so busy, and so tired.

Definitely worth thinking about. But, Bee was going to save it for another time. He was tired of sitting out here by himself brooding. It sure as hell wouldn't do him any good. He'd have to trust that the situation with Sam and Cade would work itself out as Primus saw fit. He would not tell Sam how he felt (even if a little piece of him wanted to), that was certain. It would only serve to complicate issues further, and to make Sam feel guilty. And well, if Mikaela did it, he'd deal with the situation, and then he'd spill all the juicy beans to Ratchet!

It was still fairly early. He would go and spend some time with Ron and Judy, if nothing else, those two were usually good at making him forget his problems, and they didn't even know they were doing it. With that in mind, and with a _poof_of suddenly displaced air, his holo-form appeared on the Witwicky's front doorstep. He knocked.

Judy answered the door. "Oh, well Bee! Come in, come in! You don't have to knock, this is your home, too. Oh and look at you; you look so _sad_. Do you want some cookies?" Then she turned, facing the living room and yelled, "RON! Bee's come in to visit us!"

That shout was answered by one from Ron, "Well tell him to come into the living room, maybe he can figure out how to set the clock on the DVD player."

Judy ushered Bee into the living room with her arm around his, and Bee suddenly found himself thanking Primus that he was naturally a being of few words because so far, he hadn't even had the chance to say 'hi'. As soon as Ron got the word 'player' out of his mouth, Judy continued her steady stream of chatter--

"We just got that one. It has all these fancy things on it, our old one was much more user-friendly. Not this one. And the clock is so annoying. If it just _said_ 12:00 a.m. it wouldn't be so bad, but it has to keep _flashing_ all the time. It's almost enough to drive you _crazy_. Are you sure you wouldn't like some cookies? You look so thin, dear--"

By this time, they'd gotten into the living room and Bee was handed off to Ron, who interrupted Judy's chatter with his own.

"--Judy. Would you quit harassing him with cookies? He's a _machine_, for Christ's sake, you can't fatten up a _machine_. Let him look the way he wants to," and without missing a beat he turned to Bee and brandished the DVD player's instruction manual, waving it in the air in front of Bee's face, "This might as well be written in Japanese for all the good it's doing me. Can you see what you can do with this thing before all that damn flashing drives me crazy?"

Bee took the manual from Ron, and read the part about setting the clock. He didn't really need it, he maintained a 24/7 wifi connection to the internet, it would only take him seconds to download the entire manual for nearly anything that _had _a manual. Given the circumstances though, it just seemed easier to look at the paper he was given. It didn't seem that hard. Just hold down this button, and press these other buttons to set the time. Simple. It should take him no more than a few seconds to complete entire operation.

Thirty minutes later....

Bee turned around to look at Ron from his place on the floor: In front of the devil DVD player. "I believe this particular player is substandard. You should buy a new one."

"GREAT!" Ron threw up his arms and started pacing back and forth behind the coffee table in frustration, "That's just great! You can't set it? What the hell kind of robot are you? Isn't that thing like your second cousin twice removed or something?"

Grinning, Bee brushed a lock of blond hair away from his face and said, "Evidently, we weren't all that close when we were growing up together."

Ron moved to join Bee and after another few minutes of plotting and scheming hunkered down in front of Bee's uncooperative second cousin twice removed, Ron and Bee found a solution: They stuck a piece of duct tape over the clock. They stood in the living room, chests puffed out, pleased that they had managed to conquer Bee's relative, and admired their work.

"Duct tape will fix anything," opined Ron, clapping Bee on the shoulder. "If you ever dent that car body of yours, let me know. A hammer and a little duct tape will fix ya right up."

Bee (with good reason) looked worried by that statement, but was saved from comment by Judy, who was less than impressed with their clock-setting skills. She stood staring at the player with her hands on her hips. "For goodness' sake, Ron. That's the best you two could come up with? You'd think a grown man and an alien robot could manage to set a little clock."

"It's not flashing anymore, is it?"

In the end, they decided to settle down and watch a movie. Death Proof was one of Judy's favorites. Before the opening credits were even finished, Bee recieved an internal communication from a sender whose ID he didn't recognize. The message was short and to the point. Decepticons have Sam- followed by cooridinates.

Without a word of explanation to the Witwicky's, with all his newly found cheerfulness crushed under the weight of panic, Bee's holo disappeared, and his car-alt tore out of the front driveway. He caught the Witwicky's mailbox with his back bumper, denting himself and crushing the mailbox, but he never even felt it. He broadcasted a blanket message to the Autobots, repeating the message and coordinates he'd gotten. He prayed they wouldn't ask him how Sam could've have fallen into the Decepticon's clutches, not right now. Right now, he couldn't bring himself to tell them he'd knowingly allowed Sam to leave with Barricade. With a Decepticon. He just couldn't; he was too ashamed.

Within seconds, Optimus sent him another message. A different set of coordinates, very close to the ones Bee had recieved from the unknown sender, and the message, "We meet here. You are not to go in alone."

They thought it could be a trap. And the possibility was there. Bee didn't know the sender. He also didn't give a shit. If it was a trap, and Sam was actually safe, they would deal with it. If Sam was really a prisoner, they'd slag the Decepticons and as far as Bee was concerned, he'd owe the unknown sender a piece of his soul.

Thankfully, they didn't waste time with questions. They knew that if Sam being taken _wasn't _a possibility Bee wouldn't have sent such a frenzied message. The others were a little closer to the location than Bee was. The other Autobots should arrive before Bee, but if they didn't, Bee was going to find out if Sam was in danger, even if he had to do it alone.

* * *

If Barricade were human, he'd be sweating bullets. Primus this was awful. He looked at Sam, stripped to his boxers and shivering on the table. Sam. _His_human. His spark felt like it was ripping itself to pieces. More than anything, he wanted to scoop him up, to get Sam away from here, to save him. And he couldn't. Not if they had any hope of getting out of this alive. The Decepticons were under orders not to kill the boy, but they'd much rather see him dead than let him escape; Barricade had no delusions. Orders would only stretch so far.

He sometimes wondered why he hadn't stuck to his original plan. After the failure at Mission City, Barricade had considered going AWOL. He could hide his signature and block his communication channels as well as anyone. He'd planned on fading into the background. Just becoming another police car, one of thousands. Of not being a Decepticon, or an Autobot, or anything. But, well, he'd gotten lonely. There wasn't much companionship amongst the Decepticon ranks, but at least he'd had Frenzy, and Barricade had liked the spazzy little hacker. After Frenzy died though, he had no one, and after awhile, it began to eat at him.

Then he ran into Gramma. That was a human with serious audacity on her ass. He could squish her like a bug, and yet, she talked to him like he was a badly behaved child when it suited her. Granted, he wasn't sure she _knew _he could squish her, but he was sure she suspected he wasn't human. Why else would she talk directly to his car alt, as though it was a person? He still thought it was funny how she'd unflinchingly cheat at cards if she thought she was going to lose. He called her out on it once, to which she'd replied, "Well, I'm old, boy. I'm fixin' to die any second! Do you really want me to drop dead and the last thing I did was _lose_ at Gin?"

Gramma's (he knew her name was Alice, but didn't dare use it) son was years in his grave, yet Barricade envied him. He hoped her her son, Bobby his name was, knew how lucky he was to have such a formidable woman as his mother. Barricade had never known his creators. He did know they weren't Decepticons, and that at least gave him some measure of peace, something to take pride in. Barricade, along with about twenty other sparklings, were taken from a Sparkling Care Facility, to be forced into the Decepticon army. From the begining, they were treated no better than soldiers, often, much worse.

He remembered, right after they'd been taken, he and the other sparklings had huddled, miserable and frightened, on the metal floor of some huge hall. Megatron came to inspect them. He walked around them, his eyes measuring them all, and finding them all lacking. Most of the sparklings, like Barricade, had been scared into silence, but there was one that wailed, hysterical. With but a gesture to one of his soldiers, Megatron had put an end to that. Barricade didn't know whom it was, but some nameless Mech simply walked across the hall, to the hysterical sparkling, and rather than comfort the child, had merely crushed the sparkling beneath his foot, grinding the pathetic metal body into the floor. Just a few days (funny how easy it was to start thinking like a human) earlier Barricade had taken his first steps.

Then there was Sam. When he'd gotten Sam into the car for the first time as he was walking home from the skate park, Barricade had not expected anything to happen. When Sam responded to him, _wanted_ him, Barricade told himself that it would just be that one time, just that one time to find out what it was like to be touched, if not with love, then with wanting and free will. Then he would leave. Disappear into the sunset and start life over as a free agent. That hadn't worked. Sam easily lavished affection on him, and he soaked it up like a desert would absorb rainwater. No one had ever actually cared about him before, _wanted_ him before.

Decepticons were not allowed mates. Megatron saw love as a weakness. They were not allowed to spark-meld even with each other. Decepticons were only allowed spark-melding with prisoners, and as a result, Barricade had never sparked before. The thought of forcing it on some pitiful prisoner, of turning something that was supposed to be pure into a parody of evil and hatred was utterly repulsive to him. Let the others take delight in their despair and misery, Barricade couldn't. He took a lot of heat for that, near constant ribbing, but on that one thing, Barricade wouldn't bend. He would not rape. He wouldn't wallow in another being's hopelessness.

Sam had shown him what it was supposed to be like with another. Not the spark-melding, obviously, as Sam had no spark, but all the rest of it. What it was like to care about someone, and have it returned. There was no way Barricade could walk away from that. He could have walked away from the Decepticons. Covered his signal and blocked his communications as he'd planned, only stayed in the area. He'd considered it. He wanted to do just that. But, what if... what if he did those things, and they decided to launch an attack on Sam? They would have found him one way or another. If he went AWOL, he wouldn't see the attack coming. Sam might die.

Intolerable.

So when he'd gotten his orders, he'd come on the fly, like a good little Decepticon. If he'd known it was Soundwave issuing the order, he would have stayed away. He knew Soundwave hadn't touched down on the planet, and therefore hadn't thought he would be a problem. Barricade was now fairly certain that Soundwave had latched on to a human satellite, piggy-backing it like some grotesque parasite.

That was bad.

Soundwave was a telepath, and the satelite seemed to give him the ability to focus his powers, making him even more formidable than he was in person. Most disturbing. Barricade's only saving grace was that Soundwave wasn't an empath. He could scour one's CPU, read memories and thoughts like a book, but was unable to sense the emotion behind them. Thank Primus for that. Given the wrong context, all of Barricade's actions could be construed as merely using the boy and the old woman as a way of gaining trust and having a bit of fun in the process.

Soundwave had bought the lie. Unfortunately, once Soundwave knew exactly where Barricade was, it was easy for Soundwave to keep track of him. Barricade had to keep acting the part he'd created. If he slipped up, either by trying to run away or by going to the Autobots, or if he'd in anyway warned Sam, Soundwave would have simply fried Barricade's CPU, leaving him a hollow shell, and taken Sam anyway. By 'tricking' Sam into going with him, and taking him to the Decepticons himself, Barricade ensured that he had some control over the situation. By Decepticon custom, the one that caught the prey got the first go at it, so all he had to do was take his time and give the yellow Autobot time to act on the internal communique Barricade sent him. The Autobot, of course, didn't know it was Barricade that sent the message- he hadn't had time to follow proper protocols. He just hoped action was taken quickly enough. If worse came to worse, Barricade would get Sam to safety himself. He was sure he could bring the boy out alive. Barricade didn't think he would survive the ensuing battle, but that didn't matter. As long as Sam was safe, nothing else mattered.

He knew exactly what they had planned for Sam. They wouldn't kill him. They wouldn't even torture him much, not like, cutting or burning. But there were worse things. They wanted to break him, mind, spirit, and soul. Barricade thought they would succeed, eventually. Holo-projectors ensured that rape could be far worse than anything regular humans could do to one another. To be raped by a human or robot form would be bad. To be raped by say, a rotting corpse, or some slouching beast from a different planet that was never meant to be seen by human eyes, what would that do to Sam? Barricade thought of Sam, broken and listless, his mind obliterated, trapped beyond all reach inside a perfectly healthy body that leaked silent tears from vacant eyes. The mere thought was enough to make Barricade not only welcome death, but to seek it out like an old friend.

Barricade traced his claws over Sam's body, as if deciding on a location to start cutting. Unable to stand the look of pain and humiliation on Sam's face any longer, he used the game they played with each other, and started tracing the words "Trust Me", letter by letter onto Sam's skin. Sam opened his eyes, and turned his head, staring mutely at Barricade. He knew that Sam wanted to believe him, he could see it all over the boy's face, but at the same time, he could see the fear. Fear that this was just another trick, another small cruelty. For the briefest of seconds, Barricade shifted his body, blocking the view of his left hand from the other Decepticon's and transformed it, just for a second, changing his fingers from wicked claws to the gentler, blunt fingers Sam had grown so accustomed to. Then with a barely noticeable snick of metal on metal, he changed them back to claws.

It was enough.

Sam's eyes widened, and he gave Barricade the barest of nods. _I understand. _The Decepticons around them, busily leering and jeering, didn't see anything. Keeping his metal body close to Sam, Barricade activated his holo, and in one fluid motion, he was straddling the boy's hips. He grabbed a handful of Sam's springy dark brown hair and pulled his head back, biting him in the exact same place he'd bitten him the first day they were together, hoping that Sam picked up on his silent meaning.

_You had nothing to fear from me then, you have nothing to fear from me_ now.

A subtle press of Sam's hips against his holo's thighs let him know the boy got the meaning and luckily, Sam was quick on the uptake. He writhed and thrashed, yanking at his bonds as if trying to get away. Sam gasped and moved, but didn't cry out, and even as Barricade's spark swelled with his pride in Sam, it filled with self-loathing, that he hadn't been able to spare Sam from this situation. He worked his way down Sam's shoulder and chest, biting his way downward, and Sam played his part well, jerking as if the bites hurt far more than they really did.

Barricade was starting to worry. He needed the Autobots to get here five minutes ago. He had no intention of having sex with Sam right here, it would be too humiliating for him, and Barricade couldn't put him through that, even if it might prolong his life. And he could only stall for so long...

Time was a cruel thing. Most of the time, it dragged on endlessly, but now, when he needed time more than anything else, minutes seemed to fly by, rushing away in great clumps. He was dawdling as much as he could, taking his time, but he could feel the change in attitude from those gathered behind them. They went from stark anticipation, to restlessness, and they were starting to slide into suspicion....

Time was up.

* * *

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? Get ON with it, already!" shrieked Starscream.

Sam knew that Barricade was purposely dragging his feet. He didn't know exactly what Cade was waiting on, but Starscream's less than pleasing voice pretty much meant that time was up. _If my voice sounded like that_, thought Sam, _I'd cut my own vocal cords just so I wouldn't annoy myself_.

Sam understood Cade's silent messages. Despite the gravity of his situation, Sam felt uplifted, his heart about to explode with joy. While he was still worried (understandable given the situation), he was no longer in the grip of terror, grief and shame. He was almost happy. No matter what happened, hell, even if he died, at least he knew he hadn't been betrayed, Cade loved him. Cade also had a plan, Sam just didn't know what the plan was.

Sam knew what the Decepticon's plan was, though. They expected Cade to rape him. He'd been trying to buy time, but now that time had run out, Sam was afraid Cade would do something stupid, like try to force his way out of there with Sam, rather than humiliate him in front of his enemies. Sam trusted Barricade to get him out alive, but the bottom line was this: There was one of Barricade against six or seven Decepticons, Sam wasn't quite sure on the number. Barricade wouldn't survive the fight. Sam decided he'd rather do the deed and hope that it bought enough time for whatever help Cade was waiting on to get here.

And, there was another thing. After his fear faded to the background, Cade straddled his hips. Sam pretended the 'bites' Cade gave him hurt, but actually, it didn't, they were sucking little nibbles that were driving him crazy.

He'd always known that his little head probably had less sense than the average penis, but up until now he hadn't realized just _how_ stupid it was. At the first sign of Sam's erection pressing into his ass, Barricade had rolled his eyes up to Sam's face and given him a look that clearly said, "You've _got _to be shitting me." Sam managed a brief sheepish look as if to say, "Well, I can't help it!"

But that had been some minutes ago, and still buying time, Cade had continued straddling him, 'biting' him, and even as he pretended to be in pain, it wasn't exertion or fear that was making Sam pant. He tried thinking of everything from dead kittens to his great-aunt Joan in an effort to control his body, but it hadn't worked. He was rock hard, and Cade's every movement caused the thin silk of his boxers to slither against the sensitive underside of his shaft, his balls rode high and hot in their sac, and he was leaking lubrication, he could feel it gathering in a warm puddle on his stomach. Sam was on a serious hair trigger.

He could feel himself building up to an orgasm. _Just great. _All he was wearing was a pair of silk boxers. His clothes were a shredded ruin. At the rate he was going, if the cavalry did rescue him, he'd have no way to hide the stain, and the Autobots would know _exactly_what it was. That was an explanation of the embarrassing kind, that he really, _really_didn't want to make. On the other hand, he really didn't care what the Decepticons thought of him, and if Cade kept dragging his feet Sam was pretty sure the 'Cons would kill them both.

Sam pretended to fight back, whipping his head around and sinking his teeth into Cade's ear. In barely a whisper he breathed, "Do it."

Barricade stiffened slightly, and Sam could read the obstinance in him. It seemed to roll off Cade's holo in waves. He repeated himself, "Do it. Or they kill us." He nudged Cade slightly with his hips, "Please. I'll be alright."

Bowing his head for just a moment, Cade slid off Sam, and walked a few steps down the table. He paused then hooked his fingers in Sam's shorts and jerked them down. Trying to make a good show of it, Sam tried futilely to scoot away, whispering, "No, don't, no, no, please." Freed from the confines of his shorts, his arousal stood up, giving everyone a full view of his condition. The Decepticon's suspicions vanished and they roared their approval. They didn't really care about the _sex_, they thought Sam was not only being humiliated, but being forced into _enjoying_ his humiliation, making his shame even more complete, and they relished it.

Far from humiliated, looking only to prolong his life and get a little relief in the bargain, Sam thought crazily, _Dear Lord, if I survive this, you owe me YEARS of therapy._

Cade slipped his hand lower, ghosting his fingertips over Sam's balls. He rolled them over his fingers gently, just barely brushing them, then gave them a soft squeeze. They tightened up even more, like hot stones. The feel of his own fluids dripping down his shaft and over his balls was driving Sam insane. He fought a small war with himself and just barely managed to NOT scream at Cade to quit screwing around and fuck him already. Cade moved again, this time positioning his fist so that it was just over Sam's tip, but not quite touching. Sam got the idea. If he wanted it, he had to work for it. Seeing Cade so close to his skin, teasing by not touching, made Sam feel like he was going to jump out of his skin. With a low growl, he pistoned his hips forward, pushing himself into Cade's waiting fist. With a cry of frustration he realized that bound as he was, spread-eagle, without the proper leverage, he couldn't get himself in the right angle, or the right depth to provide relief. He moved faster, ass bouncing off the metal table, riding the edge of release but unable to attain it. Dimly he heard snatches of conversation from some of the Decepticons:

"--he's well trained."

"--make a good pet."

"at least until we have to kill him..."

"...yeah." In a slightly depressed tone.

Later, Cade told Sam it was Constructicons talking, and pointed out that they weren't really known for their brilliance. Now, Sam didn't give a shit either way. Though he _did_stop for one brief moment to shoot them a shitty look at the casual mention of his impending doom. Cade chose that moment to become an active participant, sliding his hand down and squeezing. Sam froze, his tattered control abandoning him completely. His back arched and his eyes bulged. He writhed, struggling for breath as his climax crashed over him...

Before the final spasms even had a chance to stop, all hell broke loose.

All at once, Cade was moving his true body and his holo-form at the same time. His holo yanked Sam's mercifully unstained boxers up, as his metal body hunkered over him, as if shielding him from something. One swipe of Cade's claws freed Sam's wrists, another swipe, and his legs were free. In the next second the 'something' became clear as the far wall exploded inward, showering Cade with chunks of metal and cinderblocks. Dust filled the air, making Sam's eyes water, making it hard for him to see. He thought he saw the dim outline of Optimus Prime standing in the hole where the wall used to be, and he thought, _Well at least I know what Cade was waiting for_.

The Prime moved with a quickness usually reserved for smaller beings. A long glowing sword cut the first Decepticon he came across in half, and in less than a second, Sam saw Bee and Sideswipe coming in behind Prime. Sideswipe was still in car form, and he heard Prime say "Sideswipe, get Sam to safety." Bee was already transforming, then Cade was shoving him towards Sideswipe's open silver door. Sam fought back, screaming, "I won't leave you!"

Cade whispered desperately, "Go! You have to get to Gramma! They'll kill her now." And then he nearly threw Sam to the silver Corvette. Sam hit the concrete floor just a few inches shy of Sideswipes open door, scraping the skin of both knees, and one hand, but barely noticed. In an instant, he turned and saw Bee, fully transformed, slam into Barricade. Sam surged to his feet, trying to get between the two of them before they killed each other, but he felt iron strong hands lock on each of his shoulders. He struggled to no avail. Sideswipe's holo hauled him none too gently into the 'Vette's black leather interior, slammed the door shut, and hauled ass for open air.

"We can't leave him!"

Not realizing that Sam was talking about Barricade, Sideswipe said, "Bee will be fine, Optimus will look after him."

They were streaking down the road, buildings flashing by in a blur, and Sam realized that Sides was probably taking him back to base. He clung to the leather seat, gripping it hard enough to turn his fingertips white, staring out the back window, trying to see some hint of what they were leaving behind. With horror, he remembered Cade's warning about Gramma, thought of her frail and old body crushed under Starscream's foot and shouted, "Sides, we have to get to Gramma!"

Sideswipe gave Sam a once-over. "I hate to break it to ya, but you aren't really dressed enough to go making social calls."

"Nononono, you don't understand. They _know_ about her. They'll kill her when they get the chance. We have to keep her safe."

Slag. Sideswipe was not liking this one lick. First, he wasn't really comfortable with humans in his interior, especially a human that was dirty, sweating, bleeding, and mostly naked. And, Optimus had told him specifically to take Sam back to base. Not to some old lady's house, back to base. But, well, he could sense Sam's desperation, slag it, he could _analyze_ the fear in the mix of chemicals Sam exuded, and it wasn't like Sideswipe had never been in trouble before.

"Fine. Tell me where to go. But you get to explain this to Prime, 'cause he'll chunk my aft in the brig."

* * *

By the burning pit, Barricade was in trouble. The yellow scout, Bumblebee was running on pure, high-octane fury. Once, Barricade considered the scout to be something of a push-over, no real threat. He was quickly learning the err of that thinking. Bumblebee was a skilled fighter, and furthermore, he was downright vicious. As soon as Bumblebee entered the building, he launched himself at Cade, transforming in mid-air, driving him back against the far wall. Barricade barely had enough time to get Sam to the saftey of the silver Autobot, and then suddenly, he was flying without first taking lessons. The Camaro was everywhere, pounding at him furiously, pounding and sawing at Barricade's chassis. The spy wasn't trying to injure; he was trying to rip the Spark from Barricade's chest.

Primus that hurt. Barricade did just enough to hold Bee off of him. He didn't want to harm the Autobot, he was sure Sam wouldn't be too forgiving of that, no matter what the circumstances, but he didn't want to die, either. Also, he didn't have time for this. Soundwave was not omnipotent. He couldn't track Barricade if he didn't know Barricade's location. When he'd shown up as ordered, Soundwave locked on to him, kept tabs on him. Barricade's only hope was to make his escape amidst the confusion, while Soundwave was distracted, and throw up every firewall he had to mask his presence until he'd put some distance between himself and this location. After that, he'd be safe. Soundwave couldn't just look around on the planet and find him if he was masking his signal.

But to do that, he had to get away, and quickly. Starscream was already yelling to the others to retreat. A huge explosion rocked the building. Starscream transformed, using missles to knock out yet another wall. The air seemed to evacuate the building as the Raptor's engines roared to life, oblivous of the fire and shrapnel bouncing off the metal skin. The Decepticon's attempted to surge toward the opening, following Starscream, trying to make a break for it. There was, after all, other work to be done.

Fueled not by rage, but necessity, Barricade gathered his strength and shoved Bee with an almighty heave, sending the Autobot flying. Now, was his chance. He confused the oncoming Autobots, surprising them by heading in the opposite direction of the other Decepticons. He transformed without missing a stride, the black and silver mustang hitting the ground with roaring engines. He laid a track of rubber on the rubble of the cement floor, rushing the Autobots, heading for the wall Optimus destroyed. His passenger door panel caught a cannon blast from Ironhide, and his tires lost traction for an instant from the force of the blow. He regained his balance, and floored it, barely dodging the saw-wielding medic, and then he was free, in the open air, speeding over the roads and into the desert.

* * *

The other Autobots were more interested in getting back to Sam, in finding out what happened, than chasing the fleeing Decepticons. Already they would be out of reach.

Except for maybe, one.

Bumblebee knew what happened. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Barricade lured Sam here. Optimus and the others were already communicating with the American government concerning cleanup, and from the sound of it, Lennox was disappointed he hadn't been in on the action. Four 'Cons were killed in battle, their remains had to be disposed of. Lennox didn't like being a part of the cleanup crew. He preferred demolitions.

Bee transformed, his yellow Camaro body flying through what was left of the wall and outside at breakneck speed. As much as it pained him to lie to his leader, he sent the Prime a message over the WiFi: **I'm going to the base to check on Sam**.

Then he sped off after Barricade. The others would try to stop him if they knew. That was unacceptable. Barricade betrayed Sam's trust, and Bee's. There was no way Bee was going to let him live to brag about it.

* * *

2nd A/N: I swear, I have no idea where that bit about Optimus Prime came from in Bee's musings. I haven't been considering that direction at all (I swear) but when I was writing the chapter, it just seemed to come out of the air. I would like to know what you guys think about that. If you have an opinion, feel free to send a PM or whatever ya'll wanna do. I haven't decided anything yet, it may just stay a random part of Bee's musings. I'm not sure.

I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it wasn't at all hard. The storyline was coming almost faster than I could type it out. I love it when stories do that, its awesome.

Hope ya'll have as much fun with it as I did.

P.S. Wow, the FF spell-checker has _problems_.


	9. Blood Brothers

A/N: I know it's been a long time, but I haven't forgotten this story. Real life and all that. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I've been playing it in my head for awhile, but I've had to type it out in dribs and drabs due to time constraints. I hope it was worth the wait, and I'm sorry it _was_ such a long wait. I've been feeling kinda bad about that, because I've gotten quite a few great reviews asking for updates. Well... better late than never, right?

Xen =)

A Trip to the Skate Park

Chapter 9: Blood Brothers

Despite the vast databases of knowledge at Barricade's disposal, for the life of him he couldn't come up with a word sufficient to describe just how annoying the yellow Autobot was. Engine roaring with as much power as he could muster, Barricade flew over the terrain as fast as he could, yet the Camaro kept up with him. Pursuing him. Doggedly.

Fraggit.

He wished Bumblebee would forget his rage and, THINK, just for a moment. Clearly, the only person that could have sent the message that led to Sam's rescue was Barricade; however, the dumbass didn't seem to be thinking clearly enough to reason that out. And Barricade didn't have the time to stop for a friendly cup of tea and explain it to him, either.

Gradually, as he put more miles between himself and the abandoned factory the Decepticons used for a make-shift vase, Barricade became more confident in the idea that Soundwave had lost him, and was unable to recover his now masked signal. Had he been discovered, he would have once again felt Soundwave's cold presence, and he didn't. He had no doubt the mech was looking for him, though; he'd turned traitor, Soundwave would know that, and the Decepticons would be looking to put his head on a platter.

Barricade decided it was time to do something about the insect shadowing him about two feet from his bumper. With a scream, Barricade managed to pull just a little more speed out of his already maxed out engine, just enough to give him a little bit more of a lead on the Autobot, then he transformed. He leaped, somersaulting in the air, one hand dragging the ground, filling with desert sand, and even as he landed, he was turning to face the Autobot, dragging one foot through the sand to stabilize against his forward momentum. Even before he was facing, he heard the sound of Bumblebee's own transformation, and he looked up to see the yellow bot bearing down on him in a charge.

Still clutching a handful of sand, Barricade threw it right into Bee's optics.

Bee came to a complete, shocked stop. He blinked his optics furiously as lubrication poured from them. It wouldn't seem that something so simple and small as sand would be so Primus-fragged horrible, but there it was. The gritty little grains were awful, and he stared at Barricade though the river of lubricant his optics leaked completely dumbfounded. Then he said, "You are SUCH a sparkling."

"_I'm the sparkling_?" questioned Barricade with a snort of derision, "Use what little data processor you have. Who do you think sent you that message? The lug-nut fairy?"

Bee's rage at Sam's betrayal, and the irritation of the sand in his optics twisted into confusion. If Barricade even knew of the communique, that meant he had, at the very least, a hand in sending it. He probed his memory carefully, looking at recorded pieces of data, that at the time, he'd paid no attention to. Didn't he remember Barricade pretty much _throwing_ Sam at Sideswipe's open door?

Yes, he did.

At the time, he paid no attention to that detail, he'd been far too deeply immersed in his own shame and rage, but now that he considered, it would seem that not only had Barricade saved Sam, but he'd betrayed his own to do so. Yet, how did Sam get there in the first place? Obviously, Barricade, took him.

"Why take him to the Decepticons only to call me to come for a rescue?"

"They were going to capture him. They would have broken his mind, made him a slave or worse. If I brought him, I had some control over what was done to him."

"...Because you had hunter's rights."

Barricade gave him a curt nod in response.

Bee narrowed his eyes sharply, "You could have brought him to the base. Sam knows the way, he would have told you if he knew what was going on."

This was the part that Barricade was nervous about. He knew that the Autobot's would know of the 'Cons ideas about hunter's rights, so that was no problem, but, they would know as well as he that Soundwave hadn't set foot on this crappy little planet. He would have to hope that Bumblebee didn't figure his Soundwave-is-in-the-sky story as just that, a bit of fiction used to cover his own ass. Air hummed through his intakes in an imitation of a human sigh. Now or never. "I couldn't. I was being tracked, I would have led them directly to your base." And then he told Bee everything. How Soundwave had summoned him to a remote location, and scanned him without actually being there, how he'd led Soundwave to believe he was only using Sam, the ride to the factory, the message, everything. The telling left him feeling vaguely tired, and surprisingly lighter.

Bee turned from Barricade. He didn't need a sign to tell him that  
Barricade felt relieved after telling him what had happened, and Bee could understand why. His optics were finally clear of grit and no longer streamed lubrication, allowing him a clear look at the dark desert plain surrounding them. He wanted to believe Barricade, for Sam's sake if not his own, but there was still a lingering doubt tainting his processors. After all, what better why to earn the Autobot's trust than by going through heroic efforts to save Sam regardless of personal risk? Once accepted, he would have access to any information the 'Cons needed. As much as he hated to think this whole thing could have been a Decepticon plot to deploy a well placed spy, Bee couldn't afford to overlook the possibility. Oh, sure, the Decepticons had suffered far worse in the last skirmish than the Autobots, but Bee knew that someone like Starscream wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice a few foot soldiers if it furthered his cause.

Decepticons were a suspicious lot, and Barricade had spent most of his life in service to them, so it didn't take much for him to come to the same conclusion that Bumblebee now considered. Now that he thought of it, as a setup went, it was actually a pretty good one, especially since everyone knew Prime was the type to always look for good in others. That didn't do him any good, _now. _Prime was noble, but his scout had spent far too much time spying, and therefore had a far more suspicious nature.

Barricade wanted to roar in frustration. What could he possibly say to convince the spy of his sincerity? He knew the old human saying, "Actions speak louder than words." was a true one, but he knew that without Bumblebee's trust, he probably would never get the chance to demonstrate that.

_Actions speak louder than words..._ If only there was something he could do, anything. And then the thought came to him. There _was_ something he could do. As quickly as it came, Barricade tried to squash it back down. Surely, there was something _else_. _Anything_. Barricade racked his processors. _My little hamster is probably half dead on his wheel by now._ Nothing came to him. _Fraggit_. He figured that Bumblebee was _okay_, but he didn't like him that much. Or much at all, really.

Squaring his shoulders, and his resolve, Barricade did the only thing he could do. He looked Bumblebee dead in the optics and slid aside his chest plates, baring his Spark.

* * *

Sam shifted in Sideswipe's black leather seat. It seemed to be taking forever to get to Gramma's house. His foot pressed the floorboard, pressing a gas pedal that didn't exist.

"Can't you go any faster?"

Side's smooth and slightly arrogant voice replied, "If you think you can get there faster on your own, you are welcome to walk."

Sam bit back a snappy retort. Sideswipe didn't understand Sam's urgency, and he wouldn't really, unless Sam relayed the entire tale. And he didn't want to do that. He knew he would have to face the Autobots, probably as soon as he got back to base, and there were going to be a lot of hard questions to answer, but he only wanted to do it once. He wasn't sure he could do it twice.

As they made their way into Tranquility, and got ever closer to Gramma's house, Sam had yet another reason to be tense. With everything that had happened, plus the cool safety of Sideswipe's interior, he'd almost forgotten about being nearly completely naked. _Well that's just great. Some knight in shining I turned out to be. Forget Sir Lancelot, I'm more of a Sir PantsAreLost. How undignified is that?_

When they pulled up in Gramma's driveway, Sam eased out of the car and fought the urge to sneak bush to bush to Gramma's back door. With his luck, the neighbors would look out the window, see some mostly naked dude sneaking around in the bushes and call the cops. Instead, he decided to march boldly to the door, like he belonged there, and showed up every night wearing nothing but drawers. He managed it with a minimum of fidgeting, and rapped on the door hurriedly. It seemed to take forever for the door to actually open.

He had to give Gramma this. If she was at all shocked at seeing him standing on her back porch, half naked and dirty, she didn't show it. Instead she looked at him and said kindly, "Son, I'm flattered by the offer, but I'm really much too old for you."

Just how many half naked men had been knocking on her door recently? Sam nearly asked before he realized she was joking. "Come inside. Boy, the neighbors tongues will sure be wagging if anyone got a glimpse of you."

Sam squeezed past her into the kitchen. He glanced around, but barely noticed the familiar cheery yellow décor. "Gramma, you have to come with me."

"Come with you? But its the middle of the night."

"Gramma, Cade is in trouble."

The change in the older woman was immediate. She went from slightly confused to fully resolved in about three seconds. "Trouble? Is he ok? Does he need help?"

"He's fine. But he sent me here to get you. He thinks the same people that are after him, and me, will come here for you. We have to go some place safe. Get dressed, and pack up a few things, then we have to go."

"How should I pack?"

Sam nearly said 'with a suitcase' but bit back the answer when he got a look at her. She wasn't asking with the air of a person wanting to know if sandals were okay for a hike, her question had a double meaning. Gramma was subtly asking if she was likely to see her home again.

"Pack like you can't come back." For just a moment after he answered, Gramma looked less like the spry elf and more like what she was, a tired old woman in a flannel nightgown, that was probably going to lose most of her possessions. Then that look was gone, and once again she looked like a sprite. Her spine straightened and she held her hand out to Sam. "Help me get to my room boy, its harder for me to walk without my braces on."

With help from Sam and her cane it didn't take long for Gramma to get to her room. She directed Sam to the left side of the closet. "Some of my husbands old things are in there. I couldn't bring myself to throw them out after he died. Help yourself. Just because you're on the lam doesn't mean you get to run around native."

Sam grinned despite himself. He pulled open the left side closet door and gaped at the largest collection of Hawaiian shirts he'd ever seen in his life. Deciding that if he was going Hawaiian he might as well do it right, Sam pulled out the most lurid shirt he could find- red with blue and green parrots. He hurriedly pulled on a pair of kaki pants and looked in the bottom of the closet for shoes, only to find about a dozen pairs of loafers.

"Your husband must have really liked loafers."

"Oh, yes," Gramma called from the master bathroom. "That was my Henry- all business from the ankles down."

Wondering how loafers could in anyway be all business, Sam pulled a pair onto his bare feet. No way he was wearing black socks with his loafers and Hawaiian shirt.

Sam glanced over at Gramma. While he'd been contemplating his newest style change, she'd gotten dressed, pulled on her braces and was stuffing items into a small suitcase. Gramma's clothes and toiletries were already in her bag and Sam watched sadly as she packed her jewelry and a few pictures of her dead husband and son. Guilt hit him like a battering ram. It was partly his fault that this nice woman had to leave her home at a time when she should be trying to enjoy life, and he told her as much.

She waved her hand at him, dismissing his concerns, " Oh, pshhh, there will be plenty of time for peace when I'm dead. Besides, I bet nobody at my bridge club has ever had an adventure like this!"

Shaking his head at the old woman's back he hefted her suitcase and followed her out of the house. Sideswipe popped his very small trunk and Sam put the suitcase inside. Sides opened the door for Gramma and she slid into his seat, taking car not to let her leg braces scuff up the leather. Sam got into the drivers seat, but didn't even bother pretending to drive.

"So this one is like Cade, then?" When Sam nodded, Gramma directed her gaze at the dashboard, "What's your name dear?"

Slightly taken aback at being addressed directly by a human outside Sam's family or the military, the silver Autobot answered, "Sideswipe."

"Pleasure to meet you Sideswipe. I have to say, you make the most stylish getaway car I've ever been in. Well, not that I've ever been in any getaway car, but it's nice that my first getaway car isn't a hunk of junk. And call me Gramma, everybody does."

"Yes, ma'am."

It was notoriously hard to figure out what Cybertronians were thinking when they were in car mode, but Sam had the distinct impression that Sides was just as dumbfounded as he was. From what Barricade told him, Gramma didn't know for sure that Cade wasn't human, only suspected. Either that, or she was just a little screwy in the head. Cade wasn't sure. But Gramma had sounded sure, quite sure, in fact.

"Gramma, how much has Cade told you?"

"Well, nothing really. He tries so hard to seem human around me."

"Well, if he tries hard to be human around you, how do you know he's not?"

Gramma's lips pressed into a thin line, and for one minute, Sam saw sadness cloud her face, then it passed. Smoothing out the fabric of her slacks she looked at Sam and said, "I see things sometimes. I imagine I'll have to give a full explanation later, but for now, you might ought to tell me where we are going, and exactly what is going on. Wherever we're going, I don't want to seem ignorant, it's unbecoming of a lady my age."

Sam slowly nodded. As curious as he was, she seemed reluctant to talk, and he didn't want to push. He figured Gramma had been through more than enough for one night, and this night wasn't anywhere close to being over. So he told her everything, he told her about Cybertron and the war, the Allspark being lost and found on Earth, and his role in the events in Mission City. Gramma paid close attention to his story, and while she expressed wonder, never once did she disbelieve him. Finally, as much as it pained him, he also, told her about Barricade, and his role as a Decepticon. He hated to say anything that painted Cade in a bad light, even if it was the truth, and Gramma deserved no less than that. Also, Sam knew that she would likely hear some things at the Autobot base about Cade that wouldn't be good, and Sam felt she should hear it from him first.

When he finished his story he glanced at Gramma out of the corner of his eye, trying to gauge her reaction. What if she didn't anything to do with Cade now? What if she was repulsed by some of the things he'd done while in the Decepticon army?

Gramma was silent for a minute as she let all she'd been told sink in. Finally she patted Sam's shoulder. "I know what you're worried about, and you shouldn't be. Even good people make mistakes, choose the wrong path. But that doesn't mean they can't change."

Sam's relief at Gramma's answer quickly changed to dread as they pulled into the base. All he could see through Sideswipe's windshield was a really huge blue foot. Optimus Prime was waiting for them. He and Gramma got out of Side's interior, and Sam pulled Gramma's suitcase out of the trunk and led her a few feet away so Sides would have room to transform without squishing one of them. As soon as he regained his bi-pedal form, Sideswipe pointed one silver blade at Sam, looked Optimus Prime dead in the optics and said, "It's all his fault."

* * *

If Bee's design had allowed for the capability his bottom jaw would have been hanging down around his knees somewhere. The thought of Spark melding with Barricade was a weird one. He'd be more likely to proposition Optimus first. But he knew why the Decepticon was offering himself. There was no room for deception during a sparking. If he could maintain enough control through the pleasure of a spark meld, Barricade could choose to withhold memories, but he couldn't tell lies. In effect, Bee realized, Barricade was offering to bare his soul to him.

Slowly, Bee closed the distance between them. He realized it was the only way he could ever be one hundred percent sure that Barricade was being truthful, the only way he could ever protect Sam fully. And some part of him realized that if he sparked Cade and discovered Cade truly loved Sam, it might just be a little easier for Bee to give the human up to him. That part saddened him, but he'd long ago realized he would do anything for his best friend.

Even this.

His yellow chest plates slid aside and pressed to black ones, but only lightly. Bee felt the first tendrils of spark energy meet, his and Barricade's, curling around each other, teasing almost. Energy skittered along his neural net, sending fizzing pulses of pleasure along his sensors. He felt Cade shiver slightly against him, but the Decepticon said nothing, and gave no other indication of pleasure.

The memories came slowly at first, much like the first spark contact, and Bee quickly realized that Barricade wasn't going to hide anything from him. He was starting from the very beginning. Bee got a flash of the Sparkling Care Center on Cybertron, of the chaos inside as the Decepticon's systematically destroyed it, and at first those memories meshed with his own earliest memories. But where as Bee was pulled from the rubble to face Ironhide's stern but kind optics, Barricade's memories revealed being pulled roughly from some rubble, only to stare into Starscream's terrifying red optics. Bee felt his fear and confusion. Then the memories changed, and he saw terrified groups of sparklings huddled together, Barricade among them. He saw sparklings killed for nothing more than a whim, deprived of energon and forced to train until they dropped. He felt Barricade's will to survive, to live, to be strong.

The pleasure increased in intensity, forcing him to work to pay attention to all that he was seeing, all that he was feeling. He saw Barricade's refusal to participate in the rape of prisoners, saw the ridicule he endured, and the loneliness he that came along with it.

Bee planned to keep bonding under control, to allow him to examine all of Barricade's memories, but without thinking he reached out with his spark, melding them more completely. Pleasure lanced through him, and he realized how long it had been, since he'd shared this with another mech. Barricade gripped the sides of Bee's chassis and pulled him closer, their chest plates grinding together. Bee arched into him, straining to get their sparks even closer, and somewhere in the dim recesses of his processor he realized this had to be Barricade's first time spark melding with another Cybertronian.

Deciding that he might as well make it as good for Barricade as he could, he trailed his hand along the other mech's back, stroking the neural cable he found there, teasing it with small bursts of energy. This time, Barricade _did_ groan, low and feral, and _Primus, he sounded so good._

Bee felt the joint servos in his legs turning to liquid. Red warnings flashed across his optics, warning him of imminent systems overload. He felt like he was being assaulted on all sides. He felt the pleasure of the spark meld, the additional pleasure of Barricade's hand kneading a sensor array to the left of his chest plate, but there seemed to be a... feedback echo of sorts. Bee could have sworn he was feeling Cade's pleasure too, but then the memories started flooding his CPU, coming in quick flashes that he struggled to catch so he could examine them later, and he forgot about the weird echo. He saw everything after Mission City, Cade struggling with his loneliness, his realization that fighting was pointless, meeting Gramma, his first meeting with Sam at the skate park, wonder at how good a kind touch could really be, then at Mikaela's auto shop, taking Sam on the hood, feeling the boys release on Barricade's hood like it was his own was nearly Bee's undoing, but he only needed to hold himself together a little while longer.

He vaguely realized that he and Cade were no longer standing, but kneeling, clutching one another. He could feel air from Barricade's intakes against his face plates, and even that seemed to increase the pleasure on his already strained neural net. The most recent of Cade's memories swept over him, the cold reptilian presence of Soundwave in his CPU, his desperation to keep Sam safe, Cade's love for the boy, his devotion, and a fierce need to protect Sam at all times. Finally, he had enough, he knew Barricade was telling the truth, and he allowed himself to concentrate on nothing but the pleasure pulsating through his body.

Cade felt like fire was surging through his fluid lines instead of energon, but instead of pain he felt only intense pleasure. He was surprised at how easily he was able to give himself over to this, to just enjoy it. He knew that Bee was trying to focus, to pay attention to the memories, Cade had no such needs. He gave himself over to the sensation, recording the memories bombarding him for later, until he could pay proper attention to him. At some point, he and Bee ended up on the ground but Barricade wasn't sure exactly when. The writhed and pressed against each other, trying to get closer to the energy driving them slowly to overload. His final system warning flashed across his field of vision, and he locked optics with the yellow Autobot, only to find that Bee's optics were dimming as well. The pleasure seemed to plateau at a level that was just riding the edge of pain and it stayed there for excruciating seconds before finally peaking. His spark collapsed in on itself; the swell of pent up energy becoming too much for his spark to contain. Waves of pleasure cascaded through his systems one after another, far faster than usual, and he became aware that he was not only feeling his own overload, but the echo of Bumblebee's overload as well. As the pleasure started to ebb and fade, his systems started off lining one by one, resetting themselves, and rather than fight it, he rode the ebbing pleasure into a few moments of peace.

Unfortunately, it only took a few seconds for both Bee's and Cade's systems to come back on-line, so the peace was short lived. They were laying in the middle of the desert in a tangle of limbs. After several curses and a few smacks back and forth they made it back to their feet and resealed their chest plates, once again concealing their sparks. They stretched, letting cables unknit and gears loosen up. For fun, Bee smacked Cade on the shoulder, and got a slap upside his head for his efforts.

_He really does love Sam_, Bee thought. _I think I can live with that._

"Finally!" Barricade roared. "Finally that fact has permeated your unnaturally thick head. Really, did you think I came out of recharge this morning and thought to myself, 'I think I'll betray the Decepticons today, that sounds fun and conducive to a long life.'?"

Bee whipped around and stared hard at Barricade with wide optics, "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Because you said it out loud."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did. I heard you clear as day."

_No, I didn't._

Words failed Barricade. He'd been looking dead at Bumblebee that time, he knew the Autobot hadn't spoken aloud, and that hadn't been a comm transmission either. He'd heard that directly from his own processor.

"You see? I-"

Barricade waved Bee quiet and concentrated for a second. He saw Bumblebee's confusion and even more disturbingly, he _felt_ it. "Well, did you get the thought I sent you?"

"The cow goes moo? Really?"

"Yeah, really," Cade rumbled, "I knew you wouldn't be able to guess that."

"I would have."

_Lies._

Bee scowled at him, but Cade ignored him. He didn't know much about the various bonds that were possible between mech's but he was fairly sure there was no way they could be totally spark-bound, as in spark-mates. Even he knew that could only be done once in a Cybertronian's lifetime. One full binding, to one spark, forever. As a result, there were numerous fail safes in place to prevent that sort binding from occurring accidentally. Of course, if they had somehow managed to become spark-mates, Barricade decided that Bumblebee would get the bitch-end of the relationship, _and_ get to tell Sam.

"No way I'd be the bitch."

"Sure you would, all you do is bitch."

Bee scowled at him again, and began a very through self diagnostic. Barricade decided this was actually a good idea and did the same. He managed to locate the bond's code in his programming but couldn't identify what _type_ of bond it was. Bonding wasn't his area of expertise. The last bond he'd had had been the bond with his Creators, and that had perished a long time ago with them.

"I know what it is."

Barricade looked at the yellow bot. "Is it permanent? Because if it is, and I have to listen to your thoughts prattle through my CPU for the rest of my life, I might take a nose dive off a really high cliff." Barricade looked around him, obviously hoping some cliff would be gracious enough to come park right beside him in case he needed it.

Bee shuttered his optics. "It's a sibling bond."

"We do _not_ share Creators."

"No, but we were both some of the last created before the war. We're close to the same age, and we share the same basic matrix design... Cross reference what I just told you with the human term 'blood brothers'. The idea is very similar, only the process is different, and the results are more... intense. Spark melding must have triggered the bond somehow."

Cade's optics dimmed again as he searched the web. The term 'blood brothers' referred to a rather disgusting human act of symbolism, two unrelated humans (usually male, but not always) would cut themselves and mix the blood, cut to cut, to show that they were close enough to be siblings. Evidently it wasn't as popular today as it was in earlier decades, but Cade got the idea. Of course, for humans, it wasn't a permanent bond, only a symbolic one...

"For us, its permanent. However, you can have multiple sibling bonds, so our systems didn't feel the need to warn us.

"We're stuck with each other?" said Barricade asked glumly.

"Yes." Bee looked equally depressed.

"Let's go find Sam. We can always go hunt for a cliff after we know he's safe."

The thought of cliffs perked Bee up. "Agreed." _Of course, _thought Bee, _depending on Prime's reaction, finding a cliff could very well be the least of our worries._


End file.
